Issue 05/2015

Materials
explained. “Big industries have to pay to emit their carbon
dioxide emissions into the air, but we can take them
cheaply and convert them into bioplastics.”
Saphium developed a simple and cost effective way to
extract and purify PHA. “We have established a microbe
strain that secretes those PHAs into the surrounding
culture media, where we can collect it easily,” said Christof
Winkler-Hermaden. “Once the PHA leaves the microbes, it
is perfectly fit for use.” And because the material degrades
back into carbon dioxide, the production process is carbon
neutral.
The PHA used to make the new filaments has other
advantages as well, says Saphium Biotechnology.
Water and UV resistant, its mechanical properties are
comparable to those of polypropylene. The material offers
a lower melting temperature (145 – 150 °C) and, due to a
glass transition temperature under 0 °C, flexibility.
After launching the first prototypical PHAbulous
Philament samples on a test market, the Saphium aims to
develop filaments with different properties ranging from
flexible to rigid, in order be able to provide materials for
every 3D printing application.
As CEO Reinmar Eggers recently explained it in an
interview with Simon Cocking of Irish Tech News: “Right
now the earth’s oceans and ecosystems are being destroyed
every single day with all the plastic waste we produce. We
can’t turn back time and we can’t abolish plastics since
they are an important part of everyday life, but Saphium can
make them non-toxic and compostable.” KL/MT
www.saphium.eu
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/15] Vol. 10 27