The search for materials that can perform across industrial and consumer applications has expanded beyond conventional petrochemical polymers. Synthetic biology is creating new possibilities by using microorganisms and biological processes to produce materials with specific chemical and physical properties.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHAs, are one example. These polymers are produced naturally by microorganisms and can be engineered into different compositions for different uses. Their potential spans packaging, agriculture, textiles, 3D printing and medical materials, giving researchers and manufacturers a wide field for material innovation.

The commercial challenge lies in moving from laboratory research to repeatable production and then finding applications that make use of the material's properties. That requires work across microbial engineering, polymer research, processing, manufacturing, and product applications.

PhaBuilder is focused on PHA biomanufacturing, with its activities organized across four areas — PHAmily for PHA materials, PHAbrary for application solutions, PHAdustry for industrial production, and PHA Life for commercialization.

From Synthetic Biology to PHA Materials

PhaBuilder’s technology traces back to research at Tsinghua University led by Professor George Guo-Qiang Chen. The company uses a self-developed halophilic bacterial chassis system for PHA production, building on 30 years of research in synthetic biology. PHA serves as its principal material, with research covering different polymer structures and compositions for different applications.

PHAmily forms the materials side of this work. PhaBuilder describes it as a family of PHA polymers accompanied by research into polymer properties and an PHA information system. Its portfolio includes P(3HB), P(3HB-co-4HB) and P(3HB-co-3HV), alongside scientific-grade PHA materials. The company also cites more than 10 billion possible PHA combinations as part of its exploration of the material family.

From PHA Properties to Product Applications

PHAbrary extends the material portfolio into application solutions. PhaBuilder describes the platform as a collection of polymer material solutions derived from PHA, with material chemical-property data linked to application requirements. The stated goal is to create an information database that can help customers select and work with PHA materials for different products.

The applications span food and beverage packaging, catering products, cosmetic packaging, agricultural products, medical materials, 3D printing, fiber textiles, and electronics packaging. Examples listed by PhaBuilder include coated paper packaging, injection-molded tableware, bottle caps, coffee capsules, seedling trays, flowerpots, 3D-printing filament, and PHA-based fibers. The medical portfolio includes oral repair membranes, plastic surgery materials, and orthopedic implant materials.

Industrializing PHA Production

PHAdustry focuses on taking PHA production into larger manufacturing systems through biomanufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies. PhaBuilder reports that its synthetic biology production line has reached an 80% digital control rate, while biosensors have captured more than 10,000 sets of fermentation data. The company also reports reducing the usual number of fermentation operators from four to one and increasing operation and maintenance efficiency by more than 70%.

The Beijing flexible intelligent manufacturing line, established in October 2022, is designed for different types of PHA products as well as customized medical implant materials. PhaBuilder says the line can mass-produce more types of PHA than any other production line and includes a transparent forward and reverse fermentation tank created through mechanical work with Tsinghua University. In Hubei, Weiqi Biotechnology was established in July 2022 with Angel Biotech, with a planned annual production capacity of 30,000 tons and a manufacturing system using non-grain carbon sources.

From Industrial Materials to PHA Life

The fourth part of PhaBuilder’s strategy is PHA Life, which focuses on commercialization and end-user products. The concept extends the company's PHA portfolio from material research and industrial production into products intended for households and everyday use. The company's stated vision is to make PHA part of daily life through a wider range of consumer applications.

The four-part structure gives PhaBuilder a path from microbial research and polymer composition through application solutions, industrial production and commercialization. Its portfolio now covers material grades, packaging, agricultural products, medical materials, textiles and 3D printing, while its manufacturing infrastructure is designed to produce PHA at larger volumes. Together, these activities give PhaBuilder a business centered on taking microbial production from biological research into manufactured materials and finished products.

ABOUT | XU XUANMING

Xu Xuanming is the Chairman of PhaBuilder, with nearly 20 years of senior management experience at multinational companies. She previously served at Siemens, where she worked on digital transformation, ESG initiatives, and low-carbon industry programs in China. Her experience spans strategic planning, product strategy, marketing, industrial chain integration and the creation of new business ventures.

Xu holds a bachelor’s degree in Thermal Engineering from Tsinghua University and a master's degree in International Business Administration from Tsinghua University and MIT Sloan School of Management. She also studied entrepreneurship and innovation at UCLA Anderson School of Management and Stanford Graduate School of Business.