Plaxica Optipure The Route to Competitive High Heat & Performance PLA Grades

Transcription

1 Plaxica Optipure The Route to Competitive High Heat & Performance PA Grades World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, Montreal, July 25 th 2017 Phil Goodier, CEO, Plaxica 1

2 Plaxica Overview Corporate Original technology developed at Imperial College, ondon Business model : Technology licensing Mission Transformational technology for green chemicals Cost leadership Sustainable, renewable Focus -actic acid enabling high performance PA High value sugars and derivatives (e.g. xylose xylitol) from hemicellulose 2

3 Two Technology Platforms 1. Xylex - low cost, high value sugars Hemicellulose by-product streams Xylex Fermentable Hydrolysed Sugars ignin Products include: Sugar Alcohols Organic Acids Fuels Partnering with the Paper & Pulp industry Feedstock validation at industrially-relevant scale Continuous process - low capital & variable cost 3

4 Two Technology Platforms 1. Xylex - low cost, high value sugars 2. Optipure - competitive -lactic acid Hemicellulose by-product streams Xylex Fermentable Hydrolysed Sugars ow value lactic / lactide species Optipure Polymer Grade and / or actic Acid ignin Products include: Sugar Alcohols Organic Acids Fuels High Performance PA Significant partnerships with the Paper & Pulp industry Extensive feedstock validation at industrially-relevant scale Continuous process ; low capital & variable cost icensed to NatureWorks Integrates with PA production - adds value to coproduct streams Continuous resolution (enzymatic) of isomers 4

5 -lactic acid improves the performance of PA Conventional PA ( PA ) Outstanding green credentials: Biobased Sustainable Industrially Compostable Significant market penetration in containers, single use food service etc. Applications in consumer durables, fibers, hot-fill containers limited by moderate temperature performance 5

6 -lactic acid improves the performance of PA Conventional PA ( PA ) Outstanding green credentials: Biobased Sustainable Industrially Compostable Significant market penetration in containers, single use food service etc. Applications in consumer durables, fibers, hotfill containers limited by moderate temperature performance Heat stable PA (including stereocomplex) Blends of PA and PA exhibit improved thermal and mechanical performance Tighter packing of chains increases crystallinity Improves thermal, physical and gas barrier properties Tm C HT C Requires -lactic acid which can cost 4 x -lactic acid New markets : urables, fibers, fracking 6

7 To compete with conventional polymers, high heat PA requires a source of low-cost -lactic acid Conventional Approach : Fermentation - lactic acid isomer Plaxica Optipure Continuous chemical / enzymatic process High heat PA requires -lactic acid with very high optical purity ess developed fermentation strains Sub-optimal strain performance and productivity Significant investment risk to build a world-scale -lactic acid unit for market entry Uses low value feedstocks - unwanted coproducts of PA production Enzymatic resolution of - & - isomers, Isolation of -lactic acid by distillation Excellent integration with PA manufacturing 7

8 Plaxica s Optipure Technology Integrated with PA production to produce low cost -actic Acid Sugar Fermentation -actic Acid actide & Polymerisation Conventional PA Project Economics: ow capital cost ow feedstock cost adds value to a low-value co-product stream Conversion cost <$300/Te Excellent project returns Meso-lactide co-product stream + other lactic species from PA production Plaxica Optipure actic Acid / PA Heat Stable or Stereo-complex PA 8

9 emonstration & Commercialisation Industrially relevant & scalable Known and proven unit operations Chemical / enzymatic, not biological Allows use of proven scaling strategies ab Simulation Pilot plant Model validation Full Scale First Commercial icense sold to NatureWorks C in May 2017 Plaxica s Pilot Plant in England 9