Meredian Holdings Group Inc. (MHG) has started its first commercial-scale fermenter making PHA bioplastic at its plant in Bainbridge, Ga.
Officials with Bainbridge-based MHG said in a recent news release that the start of the fermenter makes their firm the world's largest producer of PHA. The material is based on oils from soybeans, cottonseed or corn.
Starting the fermenter “continues to place MHG at the forefront of the bioplastics industry,” officials said, adding that they believe PHA can be part of a solution to global plastics waste.
“Every single person, whether they are inland or on the coast, has been affected in some way by plastic debris,” CEO Paul Pereira added in the release. “The plastic we have seen and touched will be there for several generations, adversely affecting our environment.”
“At MHG, we believe PHA is the solution for a healthier planet, and operating this new fermentation vessel will allow us to increase production of this solution to combat the problem of plastic waste.”
MHG worked with Tate & Lyle plc, a multinational supplier of food and beverage ingredients, to test the scalability of Nodax-brand PHA. Those tests have led to full-scale commercialization.
MHG was formed in July 2014 from the merger of sister firms Meredian Inc. and Danimer Scientific LLC. Danimer had bought the PHA technology being used by Meredian from consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co. in 2007.