Danimer Scientific

DaniMer Scientific

DaniMer Scientific was formed in 2004 by Daniel Carraway to create biodegradable and sustainable solutions to the global dependency on traditional plastics, by using biopolymer materials such as polylactic acid (PLA). DaniMer Scientific specializes in customizing biopolymer formulations.

The company received the Sustainability Award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in 2007 for the Ecotainer coffee cup, which used a plastic biopolymer derived from corn for the inner lining.

In 2006, the Small Business Innovation Research(SBIR) program awarded Danimer with a Phase 1 monetary grant of $80,000 for the "Creation of Cost Competitive Biodegradable Films from Renewable Resources for Agriculture". The following year the SBIR awarded the company with a Phase 2 monetary grant of $346,000 for the same title, stating that the project's objective was to use renewable materials to develop agricultural mulch films that could adequately degrade before the next growing season

In 2010, DaniMer Scientific received a contract for $846,828 from the organization, Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) to develop an environmentally friendly fracturing treatment for hydrocarbon production, now known as SqueezeFrac.

September 2011 Danimer Scientific and minority business enterprise, Sijo Global Partners, formed a strategic affiliation where Sijo would offer Danimer’s bioplastic products to market leaders and brand owners.

In January 2013 DaniMer and Henkel formed a partnership to further develop bio-based hot melt adhesives for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container packaging that are made with 50% renewable content or higher.

Meredian Inc.

Originally formed in 2004, Meredian Inc. manufactures PHA for Danimer Scientific. Danimer Scientific's Nodax™ PHA is a specialized, medium-chain-length branched polyhydroxyalkanoate, mcl-PHA.

Danimer and Meredian originally purchased Procter & Gamble’s intellectual property on PHA technology in 2007. In 2013, Dr. Isao Noda joined Danimer / Meredian Inc. after spending thirty years with Procter & Gamble.

In 2014 the company received a Food and Substance Contact Notification approval from the United States Food and Drug Association (FDA). The sole-verification guarantees that the biopolymers are safe to use for food contact and are classified as non-hazardous waste after disposal.

Previous Merger into Meredian Holdings Group, Inc.

In February 2014, DaniMer Scientific and Meridian Inc. merged into MHG.

Corporate Identity Change to Danimer Scientific

The company's name changed to Danimer Scientific was officially announced in October 2016.

Danimer Scientific PHA

Danimer Scientific's PHA has received several certifications for biodegradability including: anaerobic and aerobic digestion in soil, freshwater, marine, industrial and home composting. The company also dominates the global biopolymer coatings market share due to its wide range of bio-based products and FDA approval

The patented version of Danimer Scientific's mcl-PHA is known as Nodax™, and it is the primary product developed for commercial manufacturing. Danimer Scientific's Nodax™ PHA is a class of bioplastics produced from bacterial microorganisms that store PHA polyesters for energy in their cell walls. These microbes feed upon plant-based oils procured from non-food sources.

Nodax™ PHA differs from other classes of PHA as it is tough and ductile, cost-competitive with petro-plastic, and only starts to biodegrade once integrated into the waste stream. Nodax™ PHA can be custom formulated or used to create hybridized biopolymers. Nodax™ has a versatile branched structure which resembles linear-low-density polyethylene. Inclusion of Danimer's Nodax™ PHA adds functionality to biopolymer formulations with PLA, offered in Danimer Scientific's research and development facilities.

Microorganism & Fermentation

Plant based oils are transferred to Danimer Scientific’s proprietary bio-reactors. There, the oil is fed to naturally regenerating, soil borne bacteria who produce PHA through biosynthesis.

Danimer Scientific produces quantities ranging from half a liter to 10 liters in the lab, to multiple tanks with the capacity range of 20,000 liters to 45,000 and up to 130,000 liters in the manufacturing plant.

Non-Solvent Water Extraction

To extract PHA from the cell walls of the cultivated microorganisms, Danimer Scientific uses a proprietary non-solvent, water-based extraction process which separates the PHA from the other biomass. It is then filtered, lysed and centrifuged to isolate the final mcl-PHA product. By not using toxic chemicals, the water extraction process produces a clean, dried white powder.

Reactive Extrusion

The reactive extrusion process mixes and compounds the bioplastic materials in a unique proprietary procedure that creates a customized biopolymer resin pellet.

Executive Team

Affiliations

Certifications