NCGA Sees Now as “Right Time” for Bio-Plastics (12-20-06)

The news that Metabolix Inc. will construct a commercial facility in Clinton, Iowa, for manufacturing its corn-based Natural Plastic (polyhydroxyalkanoate or PHA) product is another sign that the United States is ready to move to bio-renewable products, according to the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Pam Johnson.

Johnson, who farms near Floyd, Iowa, serves as the chairwoman of NCGA’s Research and Business Development Action Team. “I believe the time is right for product development such as Natural Plastic,” she says. “For years corn growers have been asking what it will take for our country to move from a petroleum-based economy to one that uses bio-renewables.”

Metabolix says it expects its new facility to produce 110 million pounds of its corn-based, biodegrable product annually, beginning in 2008. The plant will be located next to a wet mill owned by Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), and use starch from the mill as a raw product. ADM and Metabolix are partners in a joint venture to build and operate the facility.

Metabolix develops and commercializes biodegradable plastic. The Clinton plant will be the first time Natural Plastic has been produced outside of a laboratory. The plastic can be used in coated paper, film or bags, and thermoformed and molded goods.

Johnson says ventures like Metabolix and the DuPont and Tate & Lyle joint venture facility in Tennessee that manufactures the corn-based polymer Bio-PDO prove that industry is serious about bio-renewables. The price of oil and concerns about its continued supplies are key factors in the development of plant-based products.

“The opportunities in bio-renewables are beginning again, so old technologies are taken off the shelf and new ones are pursued. We can only hope the effort is sustained, and we will continue to work so that it bears fruit and provides opportunities for corn growers.”