Viable biotechnological production of industrial methacrylate polymers
Lead Participant:
INGENZA LIMITED
Abstract
A global challenge is to improve the way in which mankind improves the consumption and disposal of
commodity plastics. Alternative strategies to permit production of chemically identical “like-for-like”
materials from sustainable biobased feedstocks as alternatives to existing petrochemical sources is
required to help met the improve consumption and disposal of plastics. This application to Innovate UK
is seeking to develop highly efficient routes to prepare polymethacrylates (i.e. Perspex) from non-fossil
carbon based feedstocks. The project partners will build bespoke bacteria using state of the art synthetic
biology methods to enable production of methacrylate intermediates. We shall recover and test the
intermediates for their practical suitability in preparing and forming the plastics that Lucite sells to its
existing customers.
commodity plastics. Alternative strategies to permit production of chemically identical “like-for-like”
materials from sustainable biobased feedstocks as alternatives to existing petrochemical sources is
required to help met the improve consumption and disposal of plastics. This application to Innovate UK
is seeking to develop highly efficient routes to prepare polymethacrylates (i.e. Perspex) from non-fossil
carbon based feedstocks. The project partners will build bespoke bacteria using state of the art synthetic
biology methods to enable production of methacrylate intermediates. We shall recover and test the
intermediates for their practical suitability in preparing and forming the plastics that Lucite sells to its
existing customers.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
---|---|---|
INGENZA LIMITED | £148,978 | £ 104,284 |
  | ||
Participant |
||
MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL UK LIMITED | £99,748 | £ 49,874 |
INNOVATE UK |
People |
ORCID iD |
Reuben Carr (Project Manager) |