Pennycress, a Non-Edible Oil, Used in the Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) to Manufacture Biodegradable Plastics

According to a report by the Pew Charitable Trust the amount of plastic in the oceans is expectedto triple by 2040.Meredian Bioplastics is leading the charge to diminish the accumulation ofpetroleum-derived plastic not only in the oceans but also in landfills.Meredian Bioplastics has thetechnology needed to mitigate this crisis by using canola oil to produce biodegradablepolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) that can be molded into almost any item that makes up what is nowthe plastics market.Current plastics that take centuries to degrade can be replaced withbiodegradable polymers that degrade in 30-60 days.The objective of this study is to find a non- edible oil that can be used as a carbon source. Pennycress oil holds great promise.Meredian wouldprefer to use a non-food-based oil in the production of PHAs so as not to compete with the foodmarket. This grant is for preliminary work to establish pennycress as a viable carbon source in thefermentation process.The analytical data collected from the mid-scale fermentations will verify ifpennycress oil: 1) has a carbon conversion rate similar to canola 2) produces PHA at a comparabletiter 3) produces a PHA with a comparable mole%and 4) produces PHA at a comparablemolecular weight as canola.Once pennycress oil is confirmed as a canola replacement a newagricultural market will be established for this ground crop.Pennycress has advantages to farmersas it can be sandwiched between corn and soybean rotations offering a new cash crop.