Category: Chemicals & Materials

Paper chase: Biobased barrier tech consortium takes on food packaging

Paper chase: Biobased barrier tech consortium takes on food packaging

October 27, 2026 |

In Illinois, Eurobrillance, Plastigraf Trevigiana, NatureWorks, and Form iQ have collaborated to develop an innovative biobased paperboard packaging solution that combines grease resistance, barrier performance, and heat sealability for demanding food packaging applications. At the center of the collaboration is CellShield® Protopia™, a barrier technology developed by Eurobrillance and Plastigraf Trevigiana using NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ biopolymer […]

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Startup Bioplaster Research converts beach blight into bioplastic

Startup Bioplaster Research converts beach blight into bioplastic

October 27, 2026 |

In Mexico, Bioplaster Research is converting sargassum algae—an invasive species that has become a frequent headache for the Caribbean’s tourist hotspots—into bioplastics. The startup is developing sargassum-based alternatives to polystyrene foam for impact protection, polypropylene mailer bags and plastic stretch wrap, along with biomaterials for textile applications. The company’s origins date to late 2019, when CEO […]

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Larvae to lather: Bug materials startup REPLOID joins surfactants collaboration 

Larvae to lather: Bug materials startup REPLOID joins surfactants collaboration 

October 27, 2026 |

In Austria, REPLOID Deutschland GmbH is bringing insects into the quest for greener surfactants. The food-waste valorization company has joined BioSurfZ, a two-year research project developing biobased alternatives to conventional chemical surfactants. REPLOID will contribute its expertise in using Black Soldier Fly larvae to transform organic residues into valuable resources, helping turn underused waste streams […]

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Ireland launches first national bioeconomy strategy

Ireland launches first national bioeconomy strategy

October 27, 2026 |

In Ireland, Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheál Martin has unveiled the country’s first National Bioeconomy Strategy as more than 1,500 delegates gathered in Dublin for the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026. Dubbed BioScale 2030, the plan aims to convert Ireland’s research capabilities and renewable biological resources into sustainable businesses, regional opportunities and new markets while supporting climate […]

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From peeped to plastic: Startup turns fallen leaves into polymer

From peeped to plastic: Startup turns fallen leaves into polymer

October 19, 2026 |

In Delaware, a company called Perennial Polymers has developed a process to extract the lignin and cellulose from fallen leaves collected by nearby cities to create a biodegradable plastic. Perennial Polymers sidesteps two key cost barriers in bioplastics, founder Nathan Noyes told Fast Company: reliance on food-grade agricultural feedstocks and expensive fermentation processes.  Urban leaves […]

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Cellugy scales cellulose rheology modifier to 15k liters

Cellugy scales cellulose rheology modifier to 15k liters

October 19, 2026 |

In Denmark, cellulose-based materials firm Cellugy has scaled production of its biobased skincare ingredients by a factor of ten. Cellugy uses microbial fermentation to produce biobased exopolysaccharides that provide thickening, stabilization, sensory and bioactive benefits as alternatives to petrochemical- and microplastic-based ingredients. Its first product, EcoFLEXY Rheo, is a cellulose-based rheology modifier for personal care that […]

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UPM inaugurates $1.5B biorefinery in Leuna, Germany

UPM inaugurates $1.5B biorefinery in Leuna, Germany

October 19, 2026 |

In Germany, forestry-based materials maker UPM has inaugurated a much-anticipated biorefinery in Leuna. The site converts lignocellulosic biomass, primarily wood from sustainably managed forests and sawmill residues, into biochemicals. With an annual capacity of 220,000 metric tons, the €1.37-billion (USD$1.54-billion) facility is the largest of its kind in the world.  Enzymatic hydrolysis and the production of lignin-derived […]

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Root awakening: Bayer joins Switch Bioworks’ nitrogen fixation efforts

Root awakening: Bayer joins Switch Bioworks’ nitrogen fixation efforts

October 19, 2026 |

In California, engineered microbes firm Switch Bioworks has partnered with Bayer Crop Science to advance Switch Bioworks’ genetic switch technology for creating nitrogen fertilizer on the plant root.  Biological nitrogen has been one of agriculture’s most promising frontiers. However, the field has faced a stubborn technical trade-off: microbes engineered to produce nitrogen fertilizer can struggle […]

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Hyosung hits production milestone at Vietnam bio-BDO

Hyosung hits production milestone at Vietnam bio-BDO

October 19, 2026 |

In Vietnam, Hyosung has achieved production of 50,000 metric tons per year of biobased 1,4-butanediol by fermenting sugars derived from sugarcane. Bio-BDO is supplied to the company’s Dong Nai operations and converted into polytetramethylene ether glycol, a key intermediate used to manufacture regen™ BIO spandex, also known as elastane. As part of a planned $1 billion […]

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HydRegen raises $8M to advance enzyme-based hydrogenation catalysts

HydRegen raises $8M to advance enzyme-based hydrogenation catalysts

October 19, 2026 |

In the United Kingdom, an Oxford University spinout has raised $8 million in the first close of its Series A financing to advance its enzyme-based catalysts, which are designed to make chemical manufacturing more cost-effective and less polluting. The funds will enable HydRegen to expand collaboration with existing customers in the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical […]

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