Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Bioproducts Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #346475
Research Project: Technologies for Improving Industrial Biorefineries that Produce Marketable Biobased Products

Location: Bioproducts Research

Title: Production and uses of low molecular weight 3-hydroxybutyrate polymers and oligomers

Author
item Cal, Andrew
item GRUBBS, BRIAN - Mango Materials
item Torres, Lennard
item Riiff, Timothy
item Orts, William
item Lee, Charles

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/17/2017
Publication Date: 9/20/2017
Citation: Cal, A.J., Grubbs, B., Torres, L.F., Riiff, T.J., Orts, W.J., Lee, C.C. 2017. Production and uses of low molecular weight 3-hydroxybutyrate polymers and oligomers. Meeting Abstract. 25th Annual BEPS Conference. September 20-22, 2017. Albany, CA.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Commercial development of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) as a fully biodegradable thermoplastic replacement has been explored since the late 1970s. Production costs have never allowed PHB to become cost competitive with petrochemical polymers, partly due to high cost of polymer recovery and separation. We are developing applications for oligo- and low molecular weight PHB that carry lower recovery costs than high molecular weight polymer. We have explored the use of low molecular weight (Mw <10 kDa) polymer as a plasticizer and in non-woven sheets. In addition, we are investigating the production of excreted oligo-3HB from low cost carbon substrates in a microbial system.