Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
With growing populations around the world, our global food systems must grow to support a projected 9.7 billion people by 2050, increasing current food production by 70%. As if this problem wasn't hard enough, growers must achieve this feat using practices that are productive in the short-term, providing healthy and nutritious food, and sustainable in the long-term, reducing pollution and waste into the environment. One innovation that has helped growers improve yields for over 75 years is the use of plastic pots, containers, and trays. These low-cost, durable products have been used to automate and standardize many processes, such as plant germination and transportation to retailers, and adoption has been widespread across agriculture and horticulture. In horticulture, the promise of biodegradable bioplastics carry a massive benefit for plant health and sustainability, but they are plagued by poor durability and high costs - generally 2-3x their petroleum counterparts. The US alone consumes over 5 billion petroleum-based plastic containers each year (750,000 metric tons of plastic), resulting in $3.8 billion spent on containers, and scalable solutions are needed to address this problem.There is an opportunity for a new bio-based material platform to produce a family of low-cost and biodegradable containers with a range of mechanical performance, sustainability, and beneficial plant health properties. Our goals for this Phase II project are to: optimize lignin-polymer formulations that meet the manufacturing & technical specifications of our customers, demonstrate equivalent or improved plant & soil health, compared to petroleum-based containers, and develop a comprehensive IP & commercialization strategy through the TABA program. To accomplish these goals, we will optimize formulations of our materials for injection molding processes and evaluate these prototypes with manufacturing and industry partners. We will also conduct greenhouse trials with partners to evaluate the performance of these prototypes in real-world conditions. At the end of this project, we aim to have at least 1 commercial contract to purchase a formulation for commercial-scale injection molding of containers demonstrating improved plant growth benefits, and performing as well or better than petroleum-based plastics in a commercial greenhouse or field environment.
Animal Health Component
10%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
10%
Developmental
90%
Goals / Objectives
There is an opportunity for a new bio-based material platform to produce a family of low-cost and biodegradable containers with a range of mechanical performance, sustainability, and opportunities to improve plant health properties. The existing work to identify new bioplastic formulations for containers in horticulture has not found a material that can match the price, availability, and performance of petroleum-based plastics. The work to date has focused on using PLA, PHA, or starch as the primary polymer and adding fillers, colorants, and other additives to improve performance, cost, and aesthetics. The high price, low availability, and mechanical property limitations restrict their adoption. Even with increases in availability and decreases in price, the poor degradability of materials like PLA are difficult to overcome. In contrast, our technology uses lignin, a byproduct from the paper and biofuel industry. Lignin is generated at a rate of over 200 million tons per year, is low cost, and is a widely available biorenewable material feedstock. Lignin can provide a foundation for a new family of bio-based and biodegradable container materials.Our goals for Phase II are to continue development of lignin-polymers for horticulture applications by: (1) identifying lignin-polymer formulations that meet the manufacturing & technical specifications of our customers; (2) demonstrate equivalent or improved plant & soil health compared to petroleum-based containers; (3) develop a comprehensive IP & commercialization strategy through the TABA program. Here we propose a 4-stage work plan to achieve these goals with iterative loops between Formulation Optimization, Manufacturability Trials, and Greenhouse Trials (Stages 1-3 below). These Aims will complement the commercialization activities occurring in parallel (Stage 4). Lastly, our stretch goal is to demonstrate the production of container prototypes with added nutrient content. This work plan is designed to be iterative with input from customers, partners, and other stakeholders in the horticulture industry.To study the effects of bioplastic containers on plant health, we will grow greenhouse and tree crops in various containers in a professional hoop house or greenhouse. In order to gather sufficient data, we will carry out these tests using 3-4 different plant varieties in a standard soil mix based on recommendations from our partners at Agricenter International. We will also leverage feedback from our partners at Summit Plastic and McConkey & Co., who manufacture thermoformed and injection molded pots, respectively. Ideally, we will choose at least one flower, one vegetable, and one tree - each with tolerance to changes in pH and are in high commercial demand for retailers and consumers. With the time permitted by the grant, we will be able to perform two production trials, which will allow us to test these plants multiple times throughout the year and/or select new plants for the trials. To characterize plant health, we will measure plant shoot size, root health (evidence or absence of root circling), plant and flower color, presence or absence of chlorosis/necrosis, water nutrient content, and the dry weight of roots and plant biomass.Our Phase II will focus on the following hypotheses:Hypothesis 1: Lignin-based polymers can match or exceed the mechanical, aesthetic, plant health, and sustainability characteristics of petroleum-based plasticsHypothesis 2: Lignin-based polymers can be optimized for injection molding and thermoforming processes to create containersHypothesis 3: Mechanical and end-of-life properties for containers can be optimized based on formulations for specific plant types & greenhouse needsHypothesis 4: Lignin-based polymers can provide nutrients as they degrade and improve plant and soil health, compared to traditional containersTo evaluate these hypotheses, we propose the following Specific Aims for this project:Specific Aim 1: Optimize 2+ polymers that demonstrate good mechanical & processing properties for injection molding and are degradable in industrial composting conditions.Specific Aim 2: Determine manufacturability of polymer formulations with external partners to create container prototypesSpecific Aim 3: Conduct greenhouse trials to evaluate product usability and effects of lignin-polymer containers on plant & soil healthSpecific Aim 4: Identify IP & commercialization strategies (TABA)Stretch Aim 1: Demonstrate container prototype of 1+ formulation with added nutrients
Project Methods
Our goals for this Phase II project are: 1) to identify lignin-polymer formulations that meet the manufacturing & technical specifications of our customers, 2) to demonstrate equivalent or improved plant & soil health compared with petroleum-based containers, and 3) to develop a comprehensive IP & commercialization strategy through the TABA program. To achieve these goals, we are proposing a 4-stage work plan, which includes iterative loops between Formulation Optimization, Manufacturability Trials, and Greenhouse Trials (Stage 1-3). These Aims will complement the commercialization activities we will be working on in parallel (Stage 4). Lastly, we have a stretch goal to demonstrate the production of container prototypes with added nutrient content.To study the effects of bioplastic containers on plant health, we will grow greenhouse and tree crops in various containers in a professional hoop house or greenhouse. In order to gather sufficient data, we will carry out these tests using 3-4 different plant varieties in a standard soil mix based on recommendations from our partners at Agricenter International. We will also leverage feedback from our partners at Summit Plastic and McConkey & Co., who manufacture thermoformed and injection molded pots, respectively. Ideally, we will choose at least one flower, one vegetable, and one tree - each with tolerance to changes in pH and are in high commercial demand for retailers and consumers. With the time permitted by the grant, we will be able to perform two production trials, which will allow us to test these plants multiple times throughout the year and/or select new plants for the trials. To characterize plant health, we will measure plant shoot size, root health (evidence or absence of root circling), plant and flower color, presence or absence of chlorosis/necrosis, water nutrient content, and the dry weight of roots and plant biomass.The methods for the project include:Small-scale raw material production:Formulations from Task 1 will undergo small-scale production with the 27 mm twin-screw extruder to produce large quantities (200 lbs+) of material. Process design and optimization for continuous production will take place as needed. Not only will Task 2 test production capability, but it will also generate the materials necessary to complete successive Tasks, including manufacturing trials, prototype evaluation, and plant growth trials. This task may be repeated twice across the duration of the work plan to allow for feedforward adjustment.Container Production Trials: mobius will work with McConkey & Co. and Summit Plastic to evaluate lignin-polymer formulations for injection molding and thermoforming production. This task will involve trial & error to identify baseline parameters for production (processing temp, mold temp, injection pressure, injection rate, cooling time, and cycle time). This task will take place in parallel with Task 5 and may be repeated twice during the project.Container Evaluations: mobius will work with McConkey & Co. and Summit Plastic to evaluate the prototype containers. This will include working with the experts at both companies to rate the prototypes against existing products in their portfolio and providing recommendations to improve container prototypes. This task may be repeated twice during the project Greenhouse and Field Durability & Usability Trials: This task is critical to understanding how our materials perform in real-world conditions and validating our hypotheses. We will work with our Greenhouse Partners to evaluate the durability and usability of our containers through soil filling and watering tests, this will be done alongside petroleum-based containers, commercially available bioplastic containers, and fiber-based containers. Automated filling trays that hold 10 containers each will run through conveyors where a growing media or soil blend is fed from a hopper, filling them, and then the soil lightly tamped down level to the pot rim. This will provide us with Crush Strength material scores. Following filling, we will water each tray and inspect the durability of each pot after they are sufficiently wet, providing scores for Wet Strength. Additional usability testing will involve handling and moving both manually and with automation, on the ground and on racks, at various stages of plant growth for all species. This task may be repeated twice during the project. Greenhouse and Field Plant Growth Trials: This task also involves the validation of our materials in real-world conditions. We will conduct (2) 10-12 week plant growth trials over the course of this project (with buffer room in between for formulation & production as needed). These trials will be conducted with our partners at Agricenter International and will include up to 3-4 plant varieties, with 8-10 replicates per formulation. Cultivar selection recommendations will be made by our partners at Agricenter and will include at least one flower, one vegetable, and one tree. These trials will also include petroleum-based, commercially available bioplastic containers, and fiber-based containers, as side-by-side comparisons. At the end of each 10-12-week trial, we will evaluate plant and soil health, the integrity and aesthetics of each container, and generate a cumulative grower score for each experimental group. Throughout the production cycle, our team and Agricenter will document the growth and health of the plants by taking photos and collecting soil and water samples. We will also be tracking soil pH, water-use, air temperature, and humidity of the greenhouse, hoop house, or open field (depending on crop).After each crop is grown to a sufficient size and would be ideally ready to be shipped to a retailer, we will conclude the production trial. At this point, we will separate the plants and soil from the container for follow-on analysis. We will be evaluating the presence or absence of root-circling, plant appearance and health, based on leaf color, presence or absence of chlorosis/necrosis, flower color (if applicable), and soil pH. We will then separate the plants from the roots and dry them in order to quantify the root, plant, and root-to-plant ratio of biomass. These are indicative of plant health. The integrity and aesthetic quality of the containers will also be evaluated after the production trial. This task may be repeated twice across the duration of the work plan to allow for feedforward adjustment.Grower Scores:We will work with greenhouse partners and industry stakeholders to assess the performance of the various sizes and formulations of finished pots, throughout and after the completion of Task 8. This assessment will compare performance of each container (lignin-based and controls) with a composite score, categories include manufacturability, usability, biodegradability, plant health, soil health, and user score. The user score is a subjective evaluation based on the feedback from experts and industry partners. This task will be repeated twice across the duration of the work plan to allow for feedforward adjustment.