BETO will invest $2 million in algae plastic research.
This project will be managed by the University of California – San Diego, in the school’s Division of Biological Sciences.
The ultimate goal is to manufacture polyurethane from algae oil.
The bio-chemicals also have to be cost competitive with fossil-based plastic and compatible for industrial-scale production.
The team has previously done work on biodegradable flip-flops and algae-based surfboards.
“Our strategy is to go from renewable algae feedstocks all the way to products that people actually want to buy. The surfboards were a big success, and we are excited to see how people like the flip-flops. Our goal is to get to 100 percent renewability and biodegradability. I believe that we can make an impact.”
UC San Diego research team member Michael Burkart
The UC San Diego project will also receive resources from the Energy Department’s Agile BioFoundry, which covers Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as the Georgia Institute of Technology.
REFS
- Bio-plastic from Algae? BETO surfs the ocean waves for a breakthrough
- UC San Diego Awarded $2 Million to Advance Algae-based Renewable Polymers
- Bioenergy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Opportunity Announcement Selections