MINERV SB and MINERV SC

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a linear polyester naturally occurring as a result of bacterial fermentation of sugar. This family can bring together more than 100 differing monomers to produce materials whose properties vary very greatly.
Thermoplastic or elastomeric materials can be created with melting points ranging from 40 to more than 180°C. MINERV-PHA is a high-performance PHA biopolymer. MINERV-PHA is endowed with optimal thermal properties. Production needs which range from -10°C to a +180°C can be met through characterization. This product is particularly suitable for injection and extrusion methods for the production of objects. It takes the place of highly pollutant materials such as PET, PP, PE, HDPE and LDPE.

MINERV SB

Minerv Sugar Beet. Obtained from Sugar Beet Waste. As a product, MINERV-SB™ fully exploits its excellent biodegradability factor in water. This type of polymer biodegradation represents the 'future' of biodegradability worldwide. Natural elimination of a biopolymer in water in just a few days is a rarely achieved result and, furthermore, an exceedingly tough challenge.
MINERV-SB™ is the first top-performing biopolymer produced from sugar co-products or sugar waste material for which this vitally important aim has ever been fulfilled. MINERV-SB™ dissolves in 10 days, when in normal river or sea water, and it leaves no residues.

MINERV SC

Minerv Sugar Cane. Obtained from Sugar Cane waste. As a product, MINERV-SC™ fully exploits its excellent biodegradability factor in water. This type of polymer biodegradation represents the 'future' of biodegradability worldwide. Natural elimination of a biopolymer in water in just a few days is a rarely achieved result and, furthermore, an exceedingly tough challenge.
MINERV-SC™ is the first top-performing biopolymer produced from sugar co-products or sugar waste material for which this vitally important aim has ever been fulfilled. MINERV-SC™ dissolves in 10 days, when in normal river or sea water, and it leaves no residues.

NATURAL BIODEGRADATION IN WATER (VINCOTTE CERTIFICATION)

The MINERV PHA increases its biodegradability factor in bacteriologically impure water. This type of polymer biodegradation is the future of biodegradability. The natural dissolution of a biopolymer in bacteriologically impure water (e.g. river water) in a few days is a rare and very difficult result to obtain. MINERV-PHA is the first biopolymer obtained from sugar co-products to achieve this important result. In just 10 days in normal river water, MINERV-PHA turns into river water or sea water.

Natural and inexpensive methods such as biodegradation in water are the future of biodegradability. Biodegradation in natural water sources (e.g. river water) is the easiest way to destroy and then recover the elements. This permits maintenance-free materials (no handling, transport or distribution). Biodegradation in water is even more beneficial than biodegradation in soil (compost). The process remains the same: natural decomposition by bacteria. In room temperature water this decomposition happens without being forced in any way, allowing complete biopolymer biodegradation in just a few days. If we combine these features with the initial "performance" of the biopolymer (strength, flexibility, printability), it is easy to understand the final product quality. PHAs are also the only plastics biodegradable in the ocean.

SPECIFIC ON DEMAND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHAs

Bio-on makes on demand degrees of characterization.
Our laboratories select common, well-known plastic products to be characterized on the basis of Bio-on technology useful for producing PHAs from by-products of sugar beet or cane sugar.
List of known product macro families* whose technical characteristics are replicable by PHAs:

- Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
- High density polyethylene (HDPE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyvinylchloride (PVC)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

(*) after identifying PHAs corresponding to the macro family (e.g. Polypropylene PP) specific characterization is performed to identify a further field of use of the precise mechanical, physical and thermal properties.