Cellulose Ester Bioplastics From Organic Waste-Based Fatty Acids

The plastic production market is expected to grow 22% by 2050, and is largely fed by unsustainable petrochemical plastic resins. Biobased plastics promise a future where petrochemicals can be replaced, while delivering lower carbon footprint, biodegradability and recyclability, and similar material and chemical properties. However, the vast majority of biobased plastics rely on food ingredient feedstocks (like sugar, corn, seed-oil), and will require additional farmland the size of Arizona to meet sustainability targets set by the UN Paris Agreement. Bioplastics exist that can replace petrochemicals, but critically, we must invest in bioplastics that will not exacerbate food production systems in the future. Cellulose ester bioplastics (CEBs) are sustainable bioplastic produced by combining cellulosic biomass with fatty acids; but they have seen limited growth because their 2- and 4-carbon long fatty acids building blocks are produced through costly precision fermentation. Capro-X is a biotechnology company deploying CapFerm biorefineries that convert organic waste streams into medium chain fatty acids ľ primarily 6-carbon long caproic acid (CA). By 2030, Capro-X expects to be one of the largest global producers of caproic acid, and is developing a portfolio of impactful applications. Capro-X proposes to develop cellulose caproate as a novel competitor to existing CEBs, and is particularly targeting the nonwoven textiles industry as a beachhead. Interestingly, though CEB production is highly developed, there is little knowledge on the difference that the two extra carbons on CA will have on the chemistry; however, Capro-Xĺs proof of concept work indicates that there is a high likelihood that current practices will translate readily, and that by focusing on optimizing chemical and manufacturing processes, a novel bioplastic can be rapidly developed. The cellulose caproate proposed in this project promises to be the first step towards a fully waste-based bioplastic: waste cellulosic materials (wood, paper, agriculture) reacted with biorefined fatty acids from Capro-Xĺs CapFerm systems treating food and agricultural waste. In this Phase 1, Capro-X will collaborate with partners at the U. of Georgia to develop cellulose caproate through chemical reaction optimizations, nonwoven fiber and textile production, and technoeconomic and environmental impact assessments. Capro-X will manage project oversight and lead chemical reaction optimization. Prof. Gajanan Bhat will perform material testing and fiber manufacturing of candidate chemistries. Prof. Joseph Usack will build the technoeconomic and life cycle assessment models to determine the cost and impact at scale. Ultimately, the team will scale production of an optimal CEB to generate nonwoven textile swatches that will be evaluated by industry partners. During the potential Phase 2 project, the team will scale production further to operate a continuous melt-blown pilot production line at UGAĺs Nonwoven Material Research Lab, with efforts focused on optimizing chemistry and manufacturing process to provide 6ö wide rolls to customers for evaluations leading to initial sales. The nonwoven market exceeds $6B/yr and is dominated by the petrochemicals polypropylene and polyethylene. The industry desperately seeks sustainable and biodegradable materials for nonwovens, given how they are primarily used in short-lived products that must be disposed of in landfills (hospital gowns, face masks, filtration media, wet wipes). Bioplastics represent just 1% of the polymers used in nonwovens, but are seeing >10% CAGR in other product markets as companies attempt to meet their sustainability goals, and as consumers demand change. By dedicating fatty acids from our CapFerm biorefineries to produce cellulose caproate nonwovens, we expect to deploy 3,300 tons of bioplastic, totalling $12M in revenue within 5 years; by 2034, we can deploy 980,000 tons of bioplastic (~30% of the overall cellulose bioplastic market) yielding $1.2B in revenue, with a target cost-to-make that is 80% below the $3.50/kg commodity price of existing bioplastics.