Danimer Scientific is a developer and manufacturer of biodegradable materials that has pioneered the commercial use of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), an environmentally attractive yet functionally equivalent alternative to conventional petroleum-based single-use plastics. For more than a decade, Danimer’s renewable, sustainable biopolymers have helped create plastic products that return to nature instead of polluting lands and waters.
Danimer’s branded PHA, Nodax®, is currently in use in a variety of applications, including films, straws and food containers, and is FDA approved in food contact applications. Nodax® is created through a fermentation process using a bacterium fed by inexpensive oils derived from canola plants. After PHA is extracted from the bacteria, then purified and dried into a powder form, it can then be turned into pellets, injection molded into specific shapes or extruded into films.
In the presence of microbial activity, such as soil, water or industrial compost, Nodax® PHA will biodegrade in as quickly as three months — rather than the hundreds of years typical of petrochemical plastics. So not only do its raw materials come from nature, at the end of its life it returns to nature as well. It remains functional through a wide range of temperatures and is known for its strength, flexibility, ductility, toughness and elasticity.
Danimer’s Nodax® 2513 resin is a PHA-based resin designed for extrusion applications and is produced using Danimer’s proprietary reactive extrusion process. The resin is suitable for a range of profile extrusion applications, such as drinking straws. Nodax® 2513 is designed to meet the TUV standards for compostability and biodegradation.
Using Nodax® 2513, foodservice packaging company WinCup created its Phade® line of marine biodegradable and backyard compostable plastic drinking straws. These are the first commercially sellable straws made of PHA and will completely degrade in any environment without leaving behind harmful microplastics. Despite these qualities, Phade® straws have a similar feel and strength to traditional plastic without disintegrating like paper. The straws are certified biodegradable in marine, soil, home (backyard) and industrial compost environments.
In 2022, Phade® became the preferred straw of choice at SoFi Stadium in LA (the host of Super Bowl LVI), TD Garden in Boston (home of the 2022 NBA Finals) and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (home of Major League Baseball’s World Series). The straws have also been sold for the last two years at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, home of the U.S. Tennis Open. Nodax® 2513 is also used in the Evolve™ straw sold by foodservice company U.S. Foods and can also be found in straws sold in Starbucks, Costco, Dunkin Donuts and First Watch stores across the U.S.
Danimer has recently completed certifications of a new PHA resin, Nodax® 3947, and commercial trials are underway. This blend offers a higher portion of biobased content, as well as improved performance. With consumer demand for eco-friendly plastic products growing exponentially, Danimer is providing bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based single-use food service products, delivering the quality that consumers expect while minimizing their environmental impact upon disposal.
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