Next Generation of Bioplastics Could be Made from Trees

A research project led by Biome Bioplastics, aided by research conducted by the University of Warwick’s Centre for Biotechnology and Biorefining, has demonstrated the feasibility of extracting organic chemicals from lignin for the manufacture of bioplastics.

The work was initially funded by a grant from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board in 2013Lignin is a complex hydrocarbon that helps to provide structural support in plants and trees. As a waste product of the pulp and paper industry, lignin is a potentially abundant and low-cost feedstock for the high performance chemicals that could provide the foundation for the next generation of bioplastics.

The project has successfully demonstrated that bacteria can be effective in the selective degradation of lignin, and that the breakdown pathway can be controlled and improved using synthetic biology.

Crucially, several organic chemicals have been produced at laboratory scale in promising yields that have potential use in bioplastic manufacture. Initial scale-up trials on several of these target chemicals have demonstrated the potential for them to be produced at industrial scale, suggesting the commercial feasibility of using lignin-derived chemicals as an alternative for their petrochemical counterparts.

“Scientists have been trying to extract chemicals from lignin for more than 30 years. Previously, chemical methods have been used but these produce a very complex mixture of hundreds of different products in very small amounts. By using bacteria found in soil we can manipulate the lignin degradation pathway to control the chemicals produced,” explains Professor Tim Bugg, Director of the Warwick Centre for Biotechnology and Biorefining. “This is groundbreaking work. We’ve made great progress over the last year and the results are very exciting.”