Bio-Conversion of Forestry Wastes into Sustainable Paper Packaging Barrier Coatings

Chimera Bioworks is developing high-performance fully biodegradable natural polymers by upcycling agro-industrial waste cellulosic fibers. The Chimera process sustainably sources agro- industrial and other lignocellulosic waste streams as primary feedstocks and uses a novel patent- pending technology for low-cost production of unique polymers with desirable properties resulting in a broad material platform of fully biodegradable natural polymers. Through this USDA Phase I project we seek to develop and validate the efficacy of our platform to deliver high-value well- controlled biopolymers using agro-industrial waste products capable of meeting the coating barrier properties (i.e. moisture vapor transmission rate oil- grease-resistance) needed in the disposable food packaging space. This will be done by 1) Engineering a new production strain to improve co- utilization of xylose; 2) Developing a synthesis method for PHA co-polymer products demonstrating commercializable thermal and mechanical properties; 3) Producing and characterizing hydrolysates from softwood pulp and recycled papermill fiber rejects; and 4) Formulating PHA emulsions and evaluate their film formation and barrier properties on paperboard. Successful completion of the proposed Phase I work will establish the suitability of our approach to harvest high-value PHAs from a typical easily available lignocellulosic waste stream while also establishing industry-compatible methods for the target application in barrier-coatings for fully biodegradable fiber-based packaging. This proposed work aligns with the Forests and Related Resources Topic Area 8.1 as development of our technology will increase the utility of forest-grown material and lead to the development of value-added products from forest resources.