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METABOLIX DEMONSTRATES SUCCESSFUL MANUFACTURING PROCESS SCALE-UP AT 50,000 LITER SCALE
Metabolix reported today that it has successfully scaled up production of its PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) to the 50 cubic meter (50,000 L) scale. The fermentation converted commercial-grade corn sugar to PHAs, achieving high production rates and titers with overall fermentation times of less than 40 hours. This achievement represents a significant step forward in the development and production of biopolymers that will rival traditional petrochemicals as a source of material for polymer applications. "This successful scale-up, together with Metabolix's patented recovery technology, demonstrates the basis for production of PHAs at costs well below $1 per pound at full commercial scale and validates that PHAs can be produced with lower net energy consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions than petrochemical resins," said Dr. Oliver Peoples, Metabolix's Chief Scientific Officer. "This scale-up illustrates that Metabolix's microbial PHA bio-factories are robust and have very high productivity." The cost per pound is a significant benchmark towards making PHAs competitive with traditional petrochemical resins for a wide variety of applications in polymer markets. Metabolix's PHAs are a broad and versatile family of biopolymers, ranging in properties from strong and stiff to tough and highly elastomeric to grades suitable for adhesives and coatings. In addition, PHAs improve the performance of other biopolymers and of synthetic polymers. Metabolix is a development-stage company using sophisticated biotechnology to produce environmentally-friendly performance plastics and specialty chemicals from renewable resources. For more information on Metabolix, contact Jim Barber, President and CEO.
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