Novomer Inc., a new materials company pioneering a family of high-performance plastics and polymers using renewable feedstocks such as carbon dioxide, and Penford Corp., a company with expertise in specialty starches and sustainable bio-products, have announced a Joint Development Agreement that will leverage the two companies' core technologies and expertise.

The new alliance was created to accelerate the development and commercialization of starch-polypropylene carbonate polymer composites. According to the companies, although its use has been limited due to inherent performance characteristics, starch, comprised of plant-based, biodegradable polymers, has long been targeted as a cost-effective, renewable material for a range of packaging applications. When modified, starch can be compatible with other polymers to extend the use and modify the properties of those polymers for targeted uses.

Polypropylene carbonate (PPC), a thermoplastic polymer composed nearly 50% by weight of waste CO2, is said to have superior mechanical and barrier properties, and a chemical backbone that is compatible and likely synergistic with modified starch. It is anticipated that the creation of starch-PPC composites will yield low-cost, environmentally sustainable packaging polymers suitable for the multi-billion dollar global packaging materials market.