MIT biology professor Anthony Sinskey and his former postdoc Oliver Peoples are opening a new factory in Iowa to produce bioplastic from corn using MIT-patented technology. Targeting annual production of 110 million pounds of the new bio-plastic, the company hopes to provide some stability to the level of plastic in oceans and landfills as well.
R&D:
It took them three years of research to spot a particular gene in bacterium R. eutropha that produces polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), which is a naturally occurring form of polyester. Next in 1994, they established a company called Metabolix, a joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland, to conduct research on the bacteria’s plastic producing abilities. They eventually created a strain via metabolic engineering that produces the superior-level PHA. So in a nutshell, the whole research and development process took about 25 years.
Possible uses and implications:
You could see the Metabolix bioplastics being utilized in making gift cards, pens, golf tees and other consumer products. The use of corn will surely bring down the reliance on petroleum needed to manufacture traditional plastics.
Via: MIT News
