Lecture on Seaweed-Derived PHAs to Replace Plastic

Introduction

• Speaker: Michael Kingsbury, Co-founder and Co-CEO of ULU
• Topic: Developing alternatives to plastics using seaweed-derived PHAs
• Venue: Polycom presentation

Importance of Replacing Plastics

• Plastics provide benefits like food protection, durable clothing, and lightweight materials for vehicles
• Negative impacts include fossil fuel dependency, pollution, and microplastic leakage

ULU's Approach to Biodegradable Plastics

• Focus on PHAs (Polyhydroxyalkanoates): biocompatible and biodegradable
• Applications: Fabrics, films, injection molding, elastomeric materials

Benefits of ULU's Materials

1. Reduction of Plastic Pollution
   • Aim to decouple polymer market from fossil fuels
2. Climate Change Mitigation
   • Seaweed removes significant carbon
   • Potential for carbon offset exceeding emission
3. Positive Impact on Oceans
   • Absorbs nutrient pollutants
   • Cultivated sustainably to clean waterways

Production Process

1. Seaweed Farming
   • Use farmed seaweed, primarily from Indonesia
2. Sugar Extraction and Fermentation
   • Hydrolyze seaweed to extract sugars
   • Ferment sugars with microbes to produce PHAs
3. PHA Extraction and Product Formation
   • Extract PHAs from microbes
   • Compound into pellets for manufacturing

Process Innovation

• Saltwater Production Process
  • Advantages due to seaweed's saltwater composition
  • Utilizes halophile microbes for fermentation
• Cost Reduction
  • Aim to make bioplastics cost-competitive with conventional plastics
  • Potential to offset production costs with by-products

Environmental Impact

• Seaweed cultivation sequesters carbon
• Vegan protein by-product offers a sustainable alternative to animal proteins
• Offset potential of up to 5x the weight of PHAs in carbon equivalents

Strategic Partnerships and Future Plans

• Joint venture in Indonesia for seaweed farming
• Test facility in Perth, Australia
• Partnerships with brands like Quicksilver for product development
• Scale-up journey from test plant to commercial production

Challenges and Considerations

• Sustainable and scalable seaweed farming
• Ensuring fair compensation for local farmers
• Overcoming feedstock limitations and production costs

Conclusion

• ULU's focus on sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and scalability with seaweed-derived PHAs
• Ongoing research and development to optimize production and expand market reach
• Emphasis on building a better future with environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic