Public Funding for Biome Technologies PLC

The use of bio-based cyclic dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) as replacements for fossil-derived terephthalic acid (TA) has gathered increasing interest over the last decade due to their more sustainable production, enhanced biodegradation, and differentiated properties compared to widely used fossil-based TA. The pioneering DCA, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is identified as one of the prospective top 10 platform chemicals of the 21st century and large-scale bio-based production is due to begin by the end of this year with its primary customers looking for bio-based alternatives to PET polymers. Other DCAs, namely pyridinedicarboxylic acids (PDCAs), are likely produced by all kingdoms of life including bacteria, fungi, and animals. PDCAs have potential for use in diverse applications, including as therapeutics, anti-microbials, and in polymeric applications(Brewitz et al., 2020, 2023; Islam et al., 2022; Thalhammer et al., 2011). Biome, with previous support of Innovate UK, has been working over the last decade optimising bio-based production of PDCAs. Initially, this was without significant competitive interest but recent work by other groups has accelerated. With expertise in production and routes to market for biopolymers, Biome has identified an opportunity for production and distribution of these platform monomers outside the limitations of their initial biopolymer market. They are therefore looking, with collaborative support from Professor Schofield at Oxford University, an expert in the field of PDCAs for therapeutic applications, to identify and evaluate the potential market scope for applications of their bio-PDCA products. The BioPlatScope project will: 1) validate the biological activities of bio-PDCAs compared with current fossil-derived equivalents, and 2) scope the full market potential for bio-PDCAs and their realistic route to market. This will be achieved collaboratively between world leading expert, Professor Schofield at Oxford University who has published and patented on PDCAs and related plant derived natural products (Al-Qahtani et al., 2015; Brewitz et al., 2020, 2021, 2023; Islam et al., 2022; Lawson et al., 2024; Paschalis et al., 2021; Thalhammer et al., 2011) Biome has a previous commercially successful track record in the bioplastics field, manifested in existing sales of bio-based polymers, and an established route to market. Working with the Oxford group in this feasibility project, we aim to extend the utility of bio-PDCAs to alternative health-related markets and understand their requirements for introduction.

An estimated 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the 1950s (Statista, 2022) of which over 50% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling, and disposal of plastics are more than double that of air travel (Nature Climate Change,2019). In line with current demand, fossil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~400mtpa. While useful and ubiquitous, they have been developed focusing on function rather than end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". This includes cost, food contamination, polymer degradation, and environmental leakage to soils and oceans. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution providing low-carbon routes to such materials and biodegradation in appropriate environments. This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc, and the Centre for Process Innovation(CPI) will complete the development of the manufacturing process and product optimisation of one of Biome's new class of bio-based and biodegradable polymers that has been the subject of 7 years of R&D and is now approaching commercialisation. The project's outcome will facilitate the commercial deployment of a new sustainable and biodegradable material, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of non-biodegradable plastics in composts and soils whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

A long-established barrier to growth for the global biopolymer industry has been producing a grade of material that is bio-based, low cost and home compostable. Biome Bioplastics have determined a potential method to produce a material that can be successfully composted at lower temperatures (~25oC), rather than the industry standard temperature (~55oC). This new grade of material keeps very similar material properties to existing grades of (non-home compostable) biopolymers. This makes it an extremely attractive product within the biopolymer market, with a strong competitive edge - due to more favourable end of life credentials. Biome wish to conduct further analysis of this material to gain a deeper understanding of the root causes of the changes to the compostability in order to broaden the products that can be exploited using this material. This will enable Biome to refine and monitor key measurements to improve product quality and consistency at commercial scale and exploit additional markets.

An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste has been generated globally since the 1950s (Science, 2017) of which approximately 80% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature Climate Change, 2019). In line with current demand, oil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~350mtpa. While useful, they have been developed focusing on function than end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". These include cost, food contamination, polymer degradation and environmental leakage. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution. This project will help to unlock the UK based production of novel platform biomonomers. By demonstrating the successful dovetail of fermentation and downstream/product extraction processes and pave the way towards scale-up of novel bioplastics from Biome's current research in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will help unlock the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials that can contribute to the UK's goal of 70% of plastics packaging effectively recycled or composted by 2025 and progress of the chemical's sector towards net-zero. Reducing in real terms the environmental burden of plastics whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

A long established barrier to growth for the global biopolymer industry has been producing a grade of material that is bio based, low cost and home compostable. Biome Bioplastics have determined a potential method to produce a material that can be successfully composted at lower temperatures (~25oC), rather than the industry standard temperature (~55oC). This new grade of material keeps very similar material properties to existing grades of (non home compostable) biopolymers. This makes it a very attractive product within the biopolymer market, with a strong competitive edge - due to more favourable end of life credentials. Biome wish to conduct further analysis of this material to gain a deeper understanding of the root causes of the changes to the compostability. This will enable Biome to refine and monitor key measurements to improve product quality and consistency at commercial scale.

An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste has been generated globally since the 1950s (Science, 2017) of which approximately 80% remains in landfill or looose in the environment. An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste has been generated globally since the 1950s (Science, 2017) of which approximately 80% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature Climate Change, 2019). In line with current demand, oil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~350mtpa. While useful, they have been developed focusing on function than end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". These include cost, food contamination, polymer degradation and environmental leakage. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution. This project will unlock the UK based production of novel platform biomonomers and allow the scale-up of novel bioplastics from Biome's current research in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will help unlock the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials that can contribute to the UK's goal of 70% of plastics packaging effectively recycled or composted by 2025\. Reducing in real terms the environmental burden of plastics whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

Plastics are an essential part of life as we know it. However, their sourcing from fossil-based raw materials and end-of-life issues have contributed to the scrutiny and desire for change at governmental, industrial and societal levels. Biome's novel packaging impacts both issues - sourced from renewable bio-based origins and compostable. An estimated 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the 1950s (Statista,2022) of which over 50% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature-Climate-Change,2019). In line with current demand, fossil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~330mtpa. While useful and ubiquitous, they have been developed focusing on function over end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". This includes cost, food contamination, degradation and environmental leakage to soils and oceans. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution providing low-carbon routes to such materials and biodegradation in appropriate environments. This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc (UK) and ANPOLY (S.KOREA) will accelerate the manufacturing process and product optimisation, scaling-up of cellulose nanofibre (CNF) containing materials in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will facilitate the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of non-biodegradable plastics in composts and soils whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

Plastics are an essential part of life as we know it. However, their sourcing from fossil-based raw materials and end-of-life issues have contributed to the scrutiny and desire for change at governmental, industrial and societal levels. Biome's novel packaging impacts both issues - sourced from renewable bio-based origins and compostable. An estimated 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the 1950s (Statista,2022) of which over 50% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature-Climate-Change,2019). In line with current demand, fossil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~330mtpa. While useful and ubiquitous, they have been developed focusing on function over end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". This includes cost, food contamination, degradation and environmental leakage to soils and oceans. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution providing low-carbon routes to such materials and biodegradation in appropriate environments. This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc (UK) and ANPOLY (S.KOREA) will accelerate the manufacturing process and product optimisation, scaling-up of cellulose nanofibre (CNF) containing materials in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will facilitate the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of non-biodegradable plastics in composts and soils whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

Plastics are an essential part of life as we know it. However, their sourcing from fossil-based raw materials and end-of-life issues have contributed to the scrutiny and desire for change at governmental, industrial and societal levels. Biome's novel packaging impacts both issues - sourced from renewable bio-based origins and compostable. An estimated 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the 1950s (Statista,2022) of which over 50% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature-Climate-Change,2019). In line with current demand, fossil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~330mtpa. While useful and ubiquitous, they have been developed focusing on function over end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". This includes cost, food contamination, degradation and environmental leakage to soils and oceans. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution providing low-carbon routes to such materials and biodegradation in appropriate environments. This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc, Thomas Swan & Co and Nottingham University's Chemical Engineering Department will accelerate the manufacturing process and product optimisation, scaling-up of four novel bioplastics from Biome's current research in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will facilitate the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of non-biodegradable plastics in composts and soils whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

Compostable plastic packaging is increasingly prevalent in both the retail (physical and online) and catering sectors. Predominantly it comes in the form of food service-ware and bags (carrier and those for loose fresh produce), but increasingly it is used for flexible packaging for fresh produce, small format such as twist wraps, crisp bags and non-packaging applications like coffee pods. In these formats, compostability presents a new opportunity for increasing circularity: for transferring organic waste to composting, to enable the (organic) recycling of the food contaminated unrecyclable packaging or simply a solution for which no mechanical or other recycling route exists at scale today. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project will for the first time, quantify the _environmental and economic_ impacts of applying compostable plastic packaging in a trio of established UK supply system models: food service ware in established closed loop systems, retail bags (repurposed as organic waste bags) alongside other compostables in a municipal collection and flexible produce packaging in an online retailer's take back scheme. Behavioural insights will be gathered, and targeted consumer interventions developed, tested then deployed to increase the organic recycling of compostable plastic packaging whilst optimising the potential for compostable plastic packaging in aiding the recovery of organic waste where applicable. Working closely with the UK's leading in-vessel composting operator, the project will deliver the first full-scale use of a protocol designed to quantify packaging and other plastics arriving at organic waste facilities. Further to providing a robust methodology for accounting for compostables into organic recycling processes, it will also identify the most common non-compostable plastic formats which can then be targeted for recycling campaigns or redesign. Within the take-back loop the packaging will be composted in the retailer's decentralised facility. The compostable plastic packaging will be traced through the centralised (municipal) and decentralised composting processes with compost quality to PAS100 assessed. For products which do not have an established route to organic recycling such as coffee pods and small format wrappings, it is important to clarify their performance with both the consumer and the composter. Selected households will be provided with products which will then be traced through the municipal organic waste system back to the final compost. Further to extensive reporting, the project will deliver open access communication tools based on the learnings from this UK first project.

An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste has been generated globally since the 1950s (Science, 2017) of which approximately 80% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature Climate Change, 2019). In line with current demand, oil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~330mtpa. While useful, they have been developed focusing on function than end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". These include cost, food contamination, polymer degradation and environmental leakage. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution. This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc and Nottingham University's Chemical Engineering Department will accelerate manufacturing process development optimisation and scale-up of three novel bioplastics from Biome's current research in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will enable the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials within 2 years of launch, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of plastics whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the 1950s (Science, 2017) of which approximately 80% remains in landfill or loose in the broader environment. In line with current demand, oil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~350mtpa. While undoubtedly useful, they have been developed with a focus on function rather than end-of-life performance and their impact on our environment. A disruptive solution to the single use plastic problem could be the design of biobased, biodegradable and high-performance polymers which have the potential to replace oil based packaging materials. This collaborative, 9 month proof of concept study between Biome Technologies plc, the University of Glasgow's Institute of Molecular Cell & Systems Biology and the University of Nottingham's Chemical Engineering Department will explore a novel, blue-green algae derived biopolymer in line with the UK Plastics Pact targets.

Around 45 million trees are planted in the UK each year. Tree shelters protect young trees and bushes from predation by animals. They are a well-proven and economic route to limiting losses in the first five years of a tree's life. Unfortunately, most are made from oil-based and non-biodegradable plastics. The majority of shelters are never collected and eventually litter the environment with some 2,500 tons/annum of persistent microplastics. Without a sustainable solution, plans to significantly increase tree planting as part of the UK's drive to mitigate climate change will exacerbate this problem. The project will develop a novel biodegradable tree guard that will reduce (and eventually eliminate) the environmental burden of the current oil-based plastic (polypropylene) design. The ability of these materials to deliver controlled biodegradation will ensure that the shelters degrade within around 2 years, as the tree reaches suitable maturity. The successful Phase1 feasibility project has allowed Biome to explore the performance of a variety of bioplastic materials in this application and culminated in the manufacture of prototypes at customer's premises. Phase2 will enable: the refinement of material formulations; accelerated weather testing of formulations to over 5 years; correlating laboratory testing with "real world" planting conditions; validating and deepening initial Life Cycle Analysis work; and further building the credentials of the testing protocols with a wider range of industry stakeholders. The polymers that Biome are using in this project are bio-based and biodegradable. Some are novel and are the result of £6.5 million of investment over six years in research collaboration between Biome and a number of the UK's leading universities. The development of biodegradable tree shelters is the first potential commercial application arising from this collaborative group's endeavours. The polymers used in this particular project are partly based on furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a key bio-based monomeric building block. More information regarding the processes for the formation of FDCA can be found on the Company's website, [https://biomebioplastics.com/industrial-biotechnology/][0]. The project will be delivered in collaboration with predominantly UK-based manufacturing and testing organisations. Crucial advice will be sought from leading UK forestry management and non-profit organisations, who will be involved in the prototype deployment (and field monitoring) at various UK locations and international sites. [0]: https://biomebioplastics.com/industrial-biotechnology/

An estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste has been generated globally since the 1950s (Science, 2017) of which approximately 80% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature Climate Change, 2019). In line with current demand, oil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~330mtpa. While useful, they have been developed focusing on function than end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". These include cost, food contamination, polymer degradation and environmental leakage. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution. This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc and Nottingham University's Chemical Engineering Department will accelerate manufacturing process development optimisation and scale-up of three novel bioplastics from Biome's current research in partnership with existing commercial customers. The project's outcome will enable the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials within 2 years of launch, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of plastics whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.

The BioTGuard project will develop a novel bio-based, biodegradable tree guard that will reduce (and eventually eliminate) the environmental burden of the current / conventional plastic (polypropylene based) design. The established, tried and tested tree guard design will support the tree saplings without compromising their growth whilst the controlled degradation will make sure that the shelters will degrade within 5-7 years after the trees have reached suitable maturity. The project will be delivered in collaboration with established UK based manufacturing and testing organisations. Crucial advice will be sought from leading UK forestry management and non-profit organisations, who will be involved in the planned Phase 2 prototype deployment (and field monitoring) at various UK locations. In addition, as part of Phase2, further manufacturing expansion and field testing outside the UK will be explored.

no public description

"Biome Technologies seeks to enhance its development of next generation, bio-based molecules to provide the company with a portfolio of high-value, high-performance sustainable polymers. These in turn will further strengthen the competitiveness of the company and contribute to the transition away from the fossil-oil based polymer industry.This project, in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, will use a robust, metabolically diverse organism (_Cupriavidus necator_), in a contained environment, to produce target bioplastic monomers at pilot-scale. The work uses advanced synthetic biology techniques and state-of-the-art processing for the production of highly biodegradable, compostable and recyclable bioplastic polymers suitable for flexible packaging applications. This project builds on previous work by the partners and has the potential to significantly contribute to the UK's scientific and commercial position in the field of advanced bio-based and compostable packaging material development, allowing the UK to reach its 25-year environmental target."

The environmental and social concerns surrounding the use of fossil fuels and food crops make lignocellulose a challenging but compelling target source of high value chemicals. Previous and ongoing IB Catalyst studies undertaken by Biome, the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and the Universities of Leeds, Liverpool and Warwick have demonstrated the feasibility of bioprocesses from lignocellulose to polyester pre-cursors. This project will seek to develop a continuous, pilot-scale enzymic process to produce a high purity polyester pre-cursor and convert it into a suite of highly functional polyesters. The work will be undertaken by a consortium of Biome Technologies Ltd and the Universities of Liverpool and Leeds. We believe that the project has the potential to advance the UK’s knowledge and commercial position in the field of advanced bio-based materials.

The environmental and social concerns surrounding the use of fossil fuels and food crops make lignocellulose a challenging but compelling target source of high value chemicals. Previous and ongoing IB Catalyst studies undertaken by Biome, the Centre for Process Innovation and the Universities of Leeds, Liverpool and Warwick have demonstrated the feasibility of a bioprocess from lignocellulose to polyester pre-cursors. This project will seek to use industrial biotechnology (namely catalysis using enzymes) to convert these precursors into a suite of highly functional polyesters and understand their properties and lifecycle benefits. It will be undertaken by a consortium of Biome Technologies Ltd, the Universities of Liverpool and York. The project has the potential to advance the UK’s knowledge and commercial position in the field of advanced bio-based materials.

Aromatic chemicals are a crucial constituent of plastics and bioplastics, conveying functionality such as strength and flexibility. At present, these chemicals can only be sourced economically from fossil-oil. However, lignocellulose is a potential low-cost and renewable input for aromatics both from lignin and indirectly from the cellulose portion. This project evaluates the commercial potential of novel work carried out at the University of Liverpool exploring aromatic chemical manufacture from cellulose. The project will evaluate sensitivity to feedstock type, improve reaction conditions and will be scaled to produce gram quantities. These chemicals will be converted into novel bioplastics and the properties of these materials tested. A techno-economic assessment of the overall process will be carried out to evaluate the commercial potential in both the bioplastic and broader plastics markets.

The environmental and social concerns surrounding the use of fossil fuels and food crops make lignin a compelling target as a source of chemicals. Considered of low commercial value, lignin is one of the few potential natural sources of aromatic chemicals. This project targets the useful aromatic building blocks for platform chemicals within lignin that can be substituted in plastics' intermediates. This project builds on a Technical Feasibility project undertaken by Biome Bioplastics and the University of Warwick, and seeks to demonstrate that metabolites extracted previously at laboratory scale can be produced in a commercially viable manner through the selective disintegration of lignin using bacteria and/or enzymes in fed batch/continuous reactors of scale. Larger trials will be undertaken at CPI and the resultant demonstration quantities of chemicals will be converted into novel materials, for evaluation in a high value market.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

To generate new monomers for synthesis of polyester bio plastics form bacterial degradation of lignin.y

The environmental and social concerns surrounding the use of fossil fuels and food crops make lignin a compelling target as a source of chemicals. Often considered a waste product, it may provide a sustainable source of building blocks for aromatic chemicals; in particular, aromatic diacids that can be used for polyesters or polyamides in bioplastics. The project will evaluate the feasibility of production and commercialisation of one of these, a substituted phthalic acid from lignin using pathway engineering and through scale-up of a novel fermentation processes. Working on the project are teams including Professors Bugg and Lapkin from the University of Warwick’s Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Departments and engineers and technologists from Biome Technologies.