MetaCycler BioInnovations invented biodegradable plastic from dairy waste
MetaCycler BioInnovations has finally come up with the answer to the increasingly rising plastic pollution in the world and also to the problems that had been posed by the formerly hailed alternatives known as biodegradable materials: biodegradable plastic alternative created entirely from waste generated in the dairy production process.Velocity is a startup company that has genetically engineered bacteria to convert dairy wastes into biodegradable plastics. A bio-based plastic, like all plastics, can be used in molding various shapes but contains waste materials produced from cheese and milk packaging, which are converted into a biodegradable polymer called polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHA, which makes it a 100% biodegradable material.
While paper straws are the more common biodegradable alternative, which often fails to meet performance criteria, PHA offers an alternative that does not have to sacrifice material properties. The breakthrough process of upcycling waste from the dairy industry into sustainable plastics could end up drastically reducing food waste and plastic pollution.The project began in the laboratory of Dr. Trevor Charles, professor of biology at the University of Waterloo. It all started when a dairy processing company, Fairlife, came to the team of Dr. Charles with an assignment: "Find us a way to re-invent our waste." Here was an opportunity for PhD student Aranksha Thakor to get to work on transforming waste into valuable bio-based plastic.
He saw a business opportunity in the concept and co-founded MetaCycler with Thakor, along with co-founders Eugenia Dadzie and Nicole LeBlanc, and Jonathan Parkes. Within fewer than two years, the company received significant funding from incubators based in Waterloo, including United College's GreenHouse Social Impact program and Velocity. The company also got support from Waterloo's broader ecosystem that helped push research and their business model forward.This new bio-plastic solution has many advantages over the ones which are presently biodegradable. Alternatives such as plastic made from seaweed or sugarcane are catching attention, but they often don't meet the needs for durability and flexibility of conventional plastic. PHA is designed to function similarly to the traditional plastics without the environmental burden.
Sustainability and innovation for the MetaCycler involve converting waste products from dairy processing industries into a good quality, biodegradable plastic. In short, they're killing two birds with one stone-food waste and plastic waste. They may cut down on carbon emissions produced in plastic manufacture and reduce plastics from landfills and oceans.
Co-founders Eugenia Dadzie and Nicole LeBlanc are part of the Entrepreneurial PhD Fellowship program at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, and they have decided to spend 2024 working on their doctoral work as they take sustainable plastic solutions to market. It is indeed a good example of research-driven entrepreneurial spirit flourishing across the academic community at Waterloo.
Success for MetaCycler represents a combination of interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and research. Started as a research project, it grew rapidly into a very thriving start-up company within a few years partly because of the entrepreneurial environment at the University of Waterloo.As the company grows, it continues to expand its manufacturing capacity as well as work with plastic manufacturers seeking more sustainable material alternatives. MetaCycler therefore hopes to contribute to the global effort aimed at reducing plastic waste and moving toward a more sustainable future.
Source: MetaCycler BioInnovations, University of Waterloo
