BIOME TECHNOLOGIES GAINS CLOSE TO £250K INNOVATE UK FUNDING

Biome Technologies, a Southampton-based bioplastics developer, has received funding from Innovate UK.

The funding, totalling £244,000, has been awarded to enhance the development of bioplastic food packaging in a collaborative project with ANOPLY, a South Korean Pohang University of Science and Technology spin-out.

ANOPLY uses advanced technology to create tailored cellulose nano-fibre (CNF). CNF is a material made of minuscule cellulose fibrils with a high length-to-width ratio. It has a number of potential applications ranging from paper to food.

The project, which is aiming to improve the longevity performance of Biome’s bioplastic food packaging, has raised £794,000 in total so far and is expected to run for two years.

Biome Technologies Chief Executive Paul Mines said: “This latest development project is an important enabling step in understanding the functionality of a combination of Biome’s most exciting products with cutting edge additive and technologies coming through from ANPOLY.”

Bioplastics are plastics made wholly or partly from materials derived from biological sources like sugarcane, potato starch or cellulose from trees and straw.