Research confirms next generation bioplastics could be made from trees

As a waste product of the pulp and paper industry, lignin is a potentially abundant and low-cost feedstock for the high performance chemicals. Research was undertaken in conjunction with the University of Warwick. The project demonstrated that bacteria can be effective in the selective degradation of lignin, and that the breakdown pathway can be controlled and improved using synthetic biology. Several organic chemicals have been produced at laboratory scale. The next phase of the project will examine how the yields of these organic chemicals can be increased using different bacteria and explore options for further scale-up of this technology (Press Release Biome Bioplastics, 9 June 2014).
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