Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) coatings for heat-sealable food packaging
Bio-based, biodegradable PHA coatings for paper and metal food packaging substrates, offering heat-sealability without persistent microplastics. Suitable for sustainable packaging applications using melt or solvent-mediated coating methods.
Overview
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a family of naturally occurring, biodegradable thermoplastic biopolymers that can be applied as coatings to paper and metal substrates for food packaging applications. This offering leverages the unique properties of PHA variants including PHB, PHO, PHHx, PHV, and their copolymers to create heat-sealable coatings that are inert, non-toxic, and do not produce persistent microplastics.
The global production volume of PHA currently stands at approximately 100 kilotonnes per year across roughly 20 producers, with feedstocks that can be sourced from various sustainable origins. This makes PHA coatings a commercially viable alternative to conventional petroleum-based heat-seal layers used in food packaging today.
Technical specifications
- Material family: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), including PHB, PHO, PHHx, PHV, and copolymers
- Substrate compatibility: Paper, paperboard, and metal substrates
- Application methods: Melt coating and solvent-mediated coating
- Key properties:
- Thermoplastic behavior enabling heat-sealability
- Biodegradable with no persistent microplastics
- Inert and non-toxic, suitable for food contact
- Naturally occurring biopolymer
- Feedstock flexibility: Can be produced from various renewable feedstocks
- Form: Available as coating-grade PHA materials tailored to packaging requirements
Technology readiness level
This offering is positioned at the applied research and development stage. The underlying PHA coating technology for paper and metal substrates is established, and the specific application to heat-sealable food packaging coatings represents an extension of proven PHA capabilities into a defined commercial use case. Validation activities are planned to begin upon receipt of detailed client requirements, followed by the formation of a project team, time schedule, budget, and defined deliverables. The organization brings extensive cross-sector expertise spanning PHA materials science, industry, and academia to support technology selection and project execution.
About Circe Biotechnologie GmbH
Circe Biotechnologie GmbH is an Austrian biotechnology company specializing in gas fermentation technology to produce single-cell protein. By moving away from traditional, sugar-based platforms to a C1 fermentation process, the company enables the conversion of waste biomass streams into sustainable protein products. Their interdisciplinary team manages a portfolio of bioreactors, including research-scale setups in Seestadt, Austria, and a 5,000L loop fermenter in Teesside, UK, used for scale-up activities and customer sample production. This approach focuses on circular bioeconomy principles and aims to provide scalable, climate-resilient solutions without relying on primary agricultural crops.
The company's technology is designed to address the environmental challenges of food production by decoupling protein manufacturing from land and traditional farming resources. Through ongoing international R&D projects and academic partnerships with institutions like the Technische Universität Wien, Circe works to refine its strains and bioprocess efficiency. By engaging in early-stage planning for industrial-scale facilities, the firm supports partners and customers in accessing sustainable, high-yield protein alternatives, thereby promoting scientific knowledge sharing and industrial sustainability in the protein sector.
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