New catalysts for the production of biodegradable PHB

PHB is a biocompatible and biodegradable thermoplastic polyester that can be produced from renewable starting materials, by fermentative and chemical routes. However, pure isotactic PHB as produced by fermentation has a very limited application potential since it is very brittle and difficult to process. Improved material characteristics similar to those of well‑established polyolefines such as polypropylene are essential for competitiveness of PHB bioplastics.

The inventive PHB also lends itself to chemical recycling into the monomers, enabling circular polymer economy approaches. Based on its properties and cost-effectiveness the inventive PHB is ideal for many applications: - in cosmetics and care formulations e.g. microbeads, texture material - as thickener or filler in formulations - as coating material e.g. in agriculture (fertilizer beads, films), in paper industry - in the packaging industry (clear & dyeable, flexible & rigid) - as thermoplastic elastomers - as blend component for performance enhancement of other (bio)plastics (e.g. brittleness reduction)