Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), Decatur, Ill., has teamed up with bioplastics development company Metabolix, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., to build the first commercial plant to produce PHA thermoplastic resins from renewable resources.
Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), Decatur, Ill., has teamed up with bioplastics development company Metabolix, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., to build the first commercial plant to produce PHA thermoplastic resins from renewable resources. PHA is a biodegradable polyester produced by bacterial fermentation of agricultural raw materials such as corn sugar. PHA can be processed into film, fibers, paper coatings, sheet, and thermoformed and molded products. The plant will have a capacity of 100 million lb/yr and will be located at an ADM site. It will supply resin to a joint venture being established by the two companies. No completion date was cited by the companies.
PHA natural plastics can range from rigid to elastic, resist hot liquids and oils, and biodegrade in aquatic, marine, and soil environments and in anaerobic conditions such as in septic systems and municipal waste-treatment plants. Metabolix: (617) 492-0505 • www.metabolix.com
