CJ Bio launches PHACT brand

Following its recent announcement that CJ Bio’s new PHA facility in Pasuruan, Indonesia has come on stream and has started producing amorphous PHAs, the company has now revealed that these new PHA products are to be marketed under the brand name PHACT. PHACT, a contraction of PHA + Act, is currently the only amorphous PHA on the market. The first product in the new line is PHACT A1000P - a softer, more rubbery version of PHA that offers fundamentally different performance characteristics than the crystalline or semi-crystalline forms that currently dominate the PHA market.

For its initial applications, PHACT A1000P will be used as a modifier to other compostable polymers and biopolymers to improve functional and processing characteristics. For example, blending amorphous PHA in PLA leads to significant improvements in mechanical properties, such as toughness, and ductility, while maintaining clarity, said Max Senechal, Chief Commercial Officer of the CJ Biomaterials business.
In addition to PLA, PHACT can be used as a modifier with many polymers including PBS, PBAT, TPS, cellulose, and natural fibres, he explained in an email response to a request for more details. 

“Our amorphous PHA, PHACT A1000P is a perfect impact modifier for PLA. Impact modification and flexibility benefits for PLA are achieved without loss in bio-based carbon content while simultaneously accelerating the rate of composting of PLA products when incorporated at appropriate levels. Additionally, when amorphous PHA is combined with PLA in films, you do not sacrifice the transparency of the films,” he said. “PHACT A1000P is also a very good modifier or replacement for PBAT when there is a desired value to increase bio content as well as better biodegradability.”
 
Blending amorphous PHA with PLA can also enable these products to achieve faster rates of biodegradation or composting, he added.

“We know that the rate of composting of PLA will, in most instances, be faster when blended with amorphous PHA at appropriate levels. However, it is difficult to quantify this because there are many other variables that impact the rate of composting including moisture content, microbial activity, shape, and thickness of the article. We have several studies under development or in process.”

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in living cells in nature through bacterial fermentation of sugars or lipids. The raw materials for Phact are sugars sourced from plants like sugar cane, tapioca, corn and cellulosic biomass. CJ BIO can increase PHA content in microorganisms from about 5% default accumulation up to 85% through fermentation via engineered microbial strains. The company employs advanced downstream technology for the extraction of PHA components and for the manufacture of specific products and is now investing substantially in applications capability – both personnel and facilities.
It is looking forward to working with plastic resin producers, compounders, converters and brand owners across multiple segments.
“We also have partnerships established with PLA and PBS producers but nothing in the public domain just yet; please stay tuned!  We are also working with several potential customers and partners where we are running large trials and testing final application conditions,” said Senechal.

PHACT is certified biodegradable under industrial compost, soil (ambient), and marine environments. It is also considered ‘home compostable,’ meaning that it does not require specialised equipment or elevated temperatures to fully degrade.
And, while suitable for a host of applications, the immediate focus will be on flexible and rigid packaging, which accounts for greater than 50% of single-use plastics. Other markets will include agriculture, organic waste management, coatings and adhesives, personal care and healthcare.
“The world is ready for fully biodegradable bioplastics solutions. Our environment needs it, regulatory agencies support it, and consumers want it,” Senechal said.

We also asked about the price of PHACT, as in the past, cost has formed a major obstacle to using PHA in e.g., single-use applications and packaging. According to Senechal, because of the scale the company is operating at as a platform, the cost will be higher in the near to midterm.

However: “With the plastic pollution crisis only increasing and global governments and regulatory organisations looking at the total cost of incumbent plastics including the cost of disposal, biopolymers who offer a better end-of-use solution will become increasingly more competitive. We envision that price will become more competitive with scale and as technology advances in the coming years,” he added.