2414139
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
Sttr Phase I: High-performance biopolymer platform for sustainable, safe packaging.
The broader impacts of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project are rooted in the reduction of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and plastics such as polyethylene (PE) as barrier coatings for paper-based packaging.
The industry is seeking to phase such plastics out as they are non-renewable, non-degradable, carry health risks via ingestion of microplastics, and are energy-intensive to produce and poorly recyclable, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
With PFAS linked to reproductive and developmental abnormalities, immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity, thyroid damage, and many other health risks, upcoming legislative bans on its use in the food packaging industry have left suppliers without adequate replacements.
Biodegradable bioplastics are among the most sought-after technologies to replace conventional plastics but are hampered by their use of food crops as the primary raw material, which adversely affects product sustainability and limits commercial feasibility.
The proposed biodegradable bioplastic technology 1) uses abundant agro-industrial wastes as the raw material to drive down costs while supporting sustainability and 2) has significant technical performance advantages (i.e., mechanical properties, tunability, scalability) over current bioplastics.
This innovation is poised to advance the market for commercially viable, biodegradable bioplastics, enabling the replacement of both PE-based plastic coatings and PFAS-based coatings.
The proposed project seeks to develop and validate a platform to deliver biodegradable coating solutions for the packaging industry.
Customer discovery has revealed an unmet need for sustainable coatings with the properties needed for mechanical processability at scale (melting temperature, flexibility) and barrier performance of the coated fiber-based product (water vapor, liquid holdout, melting temperature, flexibility).
While industry experts point to advanced polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics as a potential technical solution, the scalable production of PHAs with medium-chain length (MCL) comonomers that improve processability and range of applications has remained out of reach.
A fermentative process has been developed to overcome this hurdle in which sugars obtained from hydrolysis of lignocellulosic waste are fermented using inhibitor-resistant recombinant microorganisms with modifications that direct feed components toward P4HB (poly-4-hydroxybutyrate)-based MCL copolymer synthesis.
This novel technology enables the production of high-performance, fully biodegradable, and tunable P4HB-co-MCL copolymers fit for a range of applications.
Phase I objectives are: 1) create a process for producing P4HB-co-MCL copolymers from non-structurally related feedstocks and 2) demonstrate industry-relevant mechanical and barrier properties of developed copolymers.
This will establish commercial viability of the platform to transform waste feedstocks into P4HBs with desirable and tunable mechanical properties amenable for commercial adoption.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Subawards are planned for this award.
The broader impacts of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project are rooted in the reduction of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and plastics such as polyethylene (PE) as barrier coatings for paper-based packaging.
The industry is seeking to phase such plastics out as they are non-renewable, non-degradable, carry health risks via ingestion of microplastics, and are energy-intensive to produce and poorly recyclable, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
With PFAS linked to reproductive and developmental abnormalities, immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity, thyroid damage, and many other health risks, upcoming legislative bans on its use in the food packaging industry have left suppliers without adequate replacements.
Biodegradable bioplastics are among the most sought-after technologies to replace conventional plastics but are hampered by their use of food crops as the primary raw material, which adversely affects product sustainability and limits commercial feasibility.
The proposed biodegradable bioplastic technology 1) uses abundant agro-industrial wastes as the raw material to drive down costs while supporting sustainability and 2) has significant technical performance advantages (i.e., mechanical properties, tunability, scalability) over current bioplastics.
This innovation is poised to advance the market for commercially viable, biodegradable bioplastics, enabling the replacement of both PE-based plastic coatings and PFAS-based coatings.
The proposed project seeks to develop and validate a platform to deliver biodegradable coating solutions for the packaging industry.
Customer discovery has revealed an unmet need for sustainable coatings with the properties needed for mechanical processability at scale (melting temperature, flexibility) and barrier performance of the coated fiber-based product (water vapor, liquid holdout, melting temperature, flexibility).
While industry experts point to advanced polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics as a potential technical solution, the scalable production of PHAs with medium-chain length (MCL) comonomers that improve processability and range of applications has remained out of reach.
A fermentative process has been developed to overcome this hurdle in which sugars obtained from hydrolysis of lignocellulosic waste are fermented using inhibitor-resistant recombinant microorganisms with modifications that direct feed components toward P4HB (poly-4-hydroxybutyrate)-based MCL copolymer synthesis.
This novel technology enables the production of high-performance, fully biodegradable, and tunable P4HB-co-MCL copolymers fit for a range of applications.
Phase I objectives are: 1) create a process for producing P4HB-co-MCL copolymers from non-structurally related feedstocks and 2) demonstrate industry-relevant mechanical and barrier properties of developed copolymers.
This will establish commercial viability of the platform to transform waste feedstocks into P4HBs with desirable and tunable mechanical properties amenable for commercial adoption.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Subawards are planned for this award.
Awardee
Funding Goals
THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "NSF SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR)/ SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAMS PHASE I", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF23515
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Syracuse,
New York
13210-3029
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Retrn Bioworks was awarded
Project Grant 2414139
worth $275,000
from National Science Foundation in September 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Syracuse New York United States.
The grant
has a duration of 1 year and
was awarded through assistance program 47.084 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Programs.
SBIR Details
Research Type
STTR Phase I
Title
STTR Phase I: High-performance biopolymer platform for sustainable, safe packaging
Abstract
The broader impacts of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project are rooted in the reduction of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and plastics such as polyethylene (PE) as barrier coatings for paper-based packaging. The industry is seeking to phase such plastics out as they are non-renewable, non-degradable, carry health risks via ingestion of microplastics, and are energy-intensive to produce and poorly recyclable, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. With PFAS linked to reproductive and developmental abnormalities, immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity, thyroid damage, and many other health risks, upcoming legislative bans on its use in the food packaging industry have left suppliers without adequate replacements. Biodegradable bioplastics are among the most sought-after technologies to replace conventional plastics but are hampered by their use of food crops as the primary raw material, which adversely affects product sustainability and limits commercial feasibility. The proposed biodegradable bioplastic technology 1) uses abundant agro-industrial wastes as the raw material to drive down costs while supporting sustainability and 2) has significant technical performance advantages (i.e., mechanical properties, tunability, scalability) over current bioplastics. This innovation is poised to advance the market for commercially viable, biodegradable bioplastics, enabling the replacement of both PE-based plastic coatings and PFAS-based coatings.
The proposed project seeks to develop and validate a platform to deliver biodegradable coating solutions for the packaging industry. Customer discovery has revealed an unmet need for sustainable coatings with the properties needed for mechanical processability at scale (melting temperature, flexibility) and barrier performance of the coated fiber-based product (water vapor, liquid holdout, melting temperature, flexibility). While industry experts point to advanced polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics as a potential technical solution, the scalable production of PHAs with medium-chain length (MCL) comonomers that improve processability and range of applications has remained out of reach. A fermentative process has been developed to overcome this hurdle in which sugars obtained from hydrolysis of lignocellulosic waste are fermented using inhibitor-resistant recombinant microorganisms with modifications that direct feed components toward P4HB (poly-4-hydroxybutyrate)-based MCL copolymer synthesis. This novel technology enables the production of high-performance, fully biodegradable, and tunable P4HB-co-MCL copolymers fit for a range of applications. Phase I objectives are: 1) Create a process for producing P4HB-co-MCL copolymers from non-structurally related feedstocks and 2) Demonstrate industry-relevant mechanical and barrier properties of developed copolymers. This will establish commercial viability of the platform to transform waste feedstocks into P4HBs with desirable and tunable mechanical properties amenable for commercial adoption.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Topic Code
BT
Solicitation Number
NSF 23-515
Status
(Complete)
Last Modified 9/17/24
Period of Performance
9/1/24
Start Date
8/31/25
End Date
Funding Split
$275.0K
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$275.0K
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
2414139
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Funding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Awardee UEI
JX7AXDHF5E33
Awardee CAGE
9FE34
Performance District
NY-22
Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand
Charles Schumer
Charles Schumer
Modified: 9/17/24