Southampton’s Biome Technologies receives funding from Innovate UK

The funding, totalling £244,000, has been awarded to enhance the development of bioplastic food packaging in a collaborative project with ANOPLY, a South Korean Pohang University of Science and Technology spin-out.

ANOPLY uses advanced technology to create tailored cellulose nano-fibre (CNF). CNF is a material made of miniscule cellulose fibrils with a high length to width ratio. It has a number of potential applications ranging from paper to food.

The project, which is aiming to improve the longevity performance of Biome’s bioplastic food packaging, has raised £794,000 in total so far. Once it begins next month (October) it is expected to take two years.

Biome Technologies chief executive Paul Mines said: “This latest development project is an important enabling step in understanding the functionality of a combination of Biome’s most exciting products with cutting edge additive and technologies coming through from ANPOLY.

“We believe these could represent an important addition to the business’s product range in due course and will bring benefits to manufacturers, consumers and the environment.”

Bioplastics, according to Biome’s website, are plastics made wholly or partly from materials derived from biological sources like sugarcane, potato starch or the cellulose from trees and straw (which is used to make CNF).

As well as conserving resources, they can be designed to biodegrade or compost at the end of their life cycle instead of existing in landfill for centuries like oil-based polymers. They can also be engineered with novel characteristics such as vapour control and tactility.

Interestingly, the creation of the first plastics from organic material derived from cellulose predates the invention of Bakelite, the first plastic made from synthetic components in 1907.

Source: The Business Magazine