Biopolymers

Plastic pollution and disposal of single use plastic packaging is a huge sustainability issue.  We produce about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year.  That's nearly the equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.  Researchers estimate that more than 8 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the early 1950s. About 60% of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment. Plastic waste — whether in a river, an ocean, or on land — can persist in the environment for centuries.

(Source: unenvironment.org).

Avecom produces biopolymers such as Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) by mixed microbial cultures.

Our PHBV is biodegradable, nontoxic and biocompatible.  Avecom applies a natural production process by non-gmo bacteria.  PHBV is a good alternative for many non-biodegradable synthetic polymers and has succesful applications, eg in food packaging solutions.

The YPACK project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 773872.

The EU Innovation Radar Platform describes the YPACK production of biodegradable poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA) by fermentation of waste streams from food processing, incorporating specified ratios of C4 and C5 monomers, their isolation and purification as a Smart and Sustainable Society Innovation.