TerraVerdae launches three new grades of PHA bioplastic

Canadian bioplastics maker TerraVerdae Bioworks Inc. has introduced new polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) resins for blown and cast films, injection molding and thermoforming.

In a 3 May news release, officials with TerraVerdae in Edmonton, Alberta, said the launch "forms a major milestone in [the firm's] extensive development effort to produce plastic resins that are not just biobased and biodegradable, but also have requisite performance properties for customers to meet evolving material needs and sustainability goals."

President and CEO William Bardosh added that TerraVerdae "is garnering global interest in its PHA biopolymer technology, as jurisdictions and industries around the world actively work to reduce the impact of plastic waste."

The firm's technology "offers a sustainable path for product manufacturers to develop high-performing yet compostable bioplastic materials that will reduce the build-up of petroleum-based plastic trash in the environment."

In March, TerraVerdae received a C$200,000 grant from Canada's Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program. The firm's project is to develop a continuously active antimicrobial coating effective against Human Coronavirus 229E.

Last year, TerraVerdae received C$4.5 million (€3.2 million) in new funding to expand its product development facilities in Edmonton. The funds were provided by Alberta Innovates, Natural Resources Canada's Clean Growth Program, advisory services and research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program and other investors.

Officials said at the time that part of the new investment will be used to purchase equipment for the production of industrial bioplastics. TerraVerdae was founded in 2009 and operates product development and pilot-scale production facilities in Edmonton and in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.