PHAXTEC® Awarded Competitive Grant from National Science Foundation

WAKE FOREST, N.C. - April 11, 2022 - PRLog -- PHAXTEC, Inc., an advanced renewable materials company, announced today that it has been awarded a one-year Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for $256,000. The grant was awarded to conduct R&D on novel PHA biopolymers for foodservice barrier paper coatings.

"NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering," said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. "With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs."

"It is an honor that the NSF which funds transformational technologies with major market impact has recognized PHAXTEC's technology and market positioning." Said PHAXTEC founder and CEO, Anindya Mukherjee, "PHA continues to be expensive due to the current feedstocks and technologies used, and our technology achieves cost parity with fossil plastics."

"The NSF has funded research in PHA in the past, but PHAXTEC's technology, products and market approach are unique and provide advantages over current commercially available PHA including lower cost and aqueous coating dispersions applicable to existing paper coating equipment at commercially relevant speeds. This technology has the potential to divert up to 26 million tons of foodservice paper packaging away from landfills to recycling and/or composting.  This NSF award confirms it and excites us all at PHAXTEC", said PHAXTEC Board Member, Chuck Klass."

About PHAXTEC:

PHAXTEC is an advanced materials start-up commercializing and marketing novel natural materials based on PolyHydroxyAlkanoates (PHA) that are recyclable, marine biodegradable and home & industrially compostable.  PHA can replace more than 50% (210 million Tons) of the world's fossil plastics in packaging, personal care and agriculture, and in durable uses such as textiles, sports equipment, automotive, and electrical and electronics.

About the NSF's Small Business Programs

America's Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America's Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit www.seedfund.nsf.gov or https://www.phaxtec.com/phaxtec-awarded-national-science-....