Project Details

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Integration of Microbial Additives into Polymers

Company: EvoNatura

Major(s):
Primary: MATSE
Secondary: BME
Optional: ME

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

This project focuses on the engineering and rigorous validation of thermally stable microbial additives designed for seamless integration into diverse polymer manufacturing processes. The central aim is to create functional biological agents, which may be encapsulated microorganisms or heat-resistant enzymes, that can successfully survive the intense heat and shear forces typical of industrial extrusion and injection molding. The additives will be compounded into masterbatch pellets to ensure compatibility with both compostable bioplastics like Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polycaprolactone (PCL), and conventional thermoplastics such as Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Polystyrene (PS). The primary focus of the work is to rigorously confirm the additives' thermal stability and rheological compatibility to ensure they do not compromise the processability or initial mechanical performance of the final material. Key project deliverables include the development of (1) Thermally Stabilized Additive Masterbatch pellet formulation, (2) Thermal Stability and Processability Report documenting its thermal tolerance (via TGA/DSC) and compatibility with target polymers (via MFI analysis), (3) Post-Processing Microbial Viability Data confirming the activity of the biological components after compounding and fabrication, and (4) the creation of Test Material Samples containing the optimized additive, all summarized in a Final Report and Presentation suitable for public dissemination.