Biodegradable plastics company EcoPHA has developed a process to produce bioplastics and biofuels from pongamia oil, medianet reported.
The company’s dual-output process – developed in partnership with design studio Terra Sol Studio and leading Australian research institutions – produced polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) bioplastics for use in applications such as coffee cups, straws and cutlery, the 18 September report said.
Pongamia oil is derived from the seeds of the pongamia tree, which grows on marginal land unsuitable for food crops and improves soil health by naturally fixing nitrogen.
Primarily trialled for biofuel production, recent scientific advancements had also demonstrated the oil’s potential in bioplastic manufacturing, medianet wrote.
EcoPHA was looking into making initial investments of up to A$100M (US$65.8M) to develop pongamia plantations in Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia.
“Both cleaner fuels and bioplastics can be produced from the same pongamia feedstock, creating a new circular bioeconomy that delivers jobs for farmers, fuel security for the nation, and a pathway to net zero for industries like aviation,” EcoPHA Biotech CEO and co-founder Dr Wilson Ling was quoted as saying.
As part of an initiative to boost low-carbon liquid fuels in Australian, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel, the federal government has launched an A$1.1bn 10-year Cleaner Fuels Program.
Welcoming the investment, EcoPHA said it planned to apply for support from the scheme to back its growth strategy.
Established in Malaysia in 2008, EcoPHA expanded to Australia in 2013. According to its website, the company’s focus in on producing PHA from renewable resources like sugar and vegetable oil.
