Cool Corn Competition – A look behind NCGA’s 6 Consider Corn Challenge III winners

Danimer Scientific won for their PHA from corn oil. PHA, or Polyhydroxyalkanoates are biodegradable, biobased polymers that can be used for a wide range of plastics, replacing fossil fuel based plastics. PHA is versatile, adaptable and heat- and UV-resistant, FDA approved for food contact, capable of properties comparable to many petrochemical plastics, able to withstand high temperatures while in storage, capable of bonding successfully with materials, such as paper, and more.

Their PHA product called Nodax is custom formulated to create different types of plastic resins for a wide variety of uses. They can even blend PHA with other types of biopolymers, like PLA, to expand its applications even further.Their new location for the world’s first commercial production facility for PHA is in Winchester, Kentucky.

As reported in The Digest in August, Danimer Scientific acquired biodegradable polymer producer Novomer in a cash transaction valued at $152 million.

And Danimer isn’t just looking at corn oil for their PHA – the United Soybean Board awarded Danimer Scientific $400,000 grant for PHA research using high-oleic soybean oil as a feedstock, as reported in The Digest in September.