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Genecis Bioindustries Inc. is an organic waste processing company that up-cycles organic waste into fully biodegradable and compostable PHA plastic.
About
Currently, there are many types of biodegradable plastics in the market that are able to be manufactured into films. Some of them include, but not limited to are PHAs, polylactic acid (PLA), starch or cellulose based polymers, or even the addition of biodegradable additives to petrochemical plastics. In comparison to these other types of biodegradable plastics, PHA degrades significantly faster in normal environmental conditions. PHA is produced by bacteria, unlike PLA which is polymerized chemically and requires incineration conditions to promote its breakdown (i.e., higher temperature, moisture, abundance of oxygen, etc.). PHA bioplastics can be readily broken down by bacteria and other microorganisms at ambient temperatures. These microorganisms are abundant in normal environmental conditions. Which means that PHAs will degrade by simply leaving it in soil or in a home composter. PHAs can degrade in terrestrial and marine conditions within 2-12 months. At Genecis, we can also alter these biodegradation rates (fast vs. slow) in the environment by adjusting PHA polymer compositions. At Genecis, the feedstock we use to produce these PHAs are based on various types volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which are extracted from fermenting organic waste. By varying the ratios of these VFAs, we can ultimately produce PHAs that are composed of different ratios of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) vs. polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV). The important thing to note is that by adjusting the PHB to PHV ratios in our co-polymer, we can ultimately alter the final physical properties of the PHAs. Currently, we are capable of producing PHBV co-polymers with a composition of ~85 ± 5% PHB and ~15 ± 5% PHV. In addition, our PHAs can be blended with other type of polymers (i.e., starch-based polymers,) to form a composite material suitable for food waste bags and translucent grocery bags. Blending can enable more desirable properties like improved water resistance, processing capabilities, mechanical properties and also the added benefit of faster biodegradability rates of the composite material. PHAs can also be blended with petroleum based plastics, like polyethylene as most often used in plastic bags, to improve the biodegradability of the plastic.
Key Benefits
This technology developed by Genecis offers multifaceted benefits. On the highest level, our technology serves as a replacement for several uses of petroleum plastics. Especifically, PHAs may be used to replace High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), or Polypropylene (PP) in several applications including food packaging. Genecis’ PHA bioplastics represent a more sustainable solution to petroleum plastics. The most significant benefits lie in the biodegradability of PHAs in nature or in composting environments, avoiding marine and terrestrial level contamination with plastic particulates or GHG emissions in the case of disposal by incineration.
Applications
Products that can be manufactured from our bioplastics include packaging films, bags, containers, and utensils. Due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, these bioplastics are also of interest in medical applications such as surgical pins, staples, bone plates, engineered tissue scaffolds and stents.