Irish startup turns waste plastic into biodegradable products

By Lisa Sibley, Cleantech Group, Dec. 9, 2009

What began as research project to produce biodegradable plastics from waste has evolved into a company that now has large scale ambitions.

Ireland-based Bioplastech is converting waste, agricultural byproducts and petrochemical products into value added biodegradable plastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), Kevin O’Connor told the Cleantech Group today. PHAs are linear polyesters produced by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids, according to Wikipedia, and can store carbon and energy.

O’Connor, who heads the company’s management team, is a senior lecturer in microbiology at University College Dublin, Ireland, which developed the technology and is collaborating with Trinity College Dublin.

Started in 2008, Bioplastech is also looking at waste food oils and biodiesel, though the main driver to begin the 10-employee company was waste plastic, O’Connor said, comparing it to most companies which are going the biomass route. The company is looking to test its lab-proven technology on a larger level.

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