The BIO Cooperative proudly announces a new grant for the project “Processing possibilities for wood fibre reinforced PHA (PWP)”, part of the cross-border Interreg EMPHATI project. The project, submitted and executed by Triple Benefit from Enschede (Netherlands) and Holzmühle Westerkamp GmbH from Visbek (Germany), focuses on innovative methods for processing wood fibre reinforced PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates). PHA is a biodegradable biopolymer produced by bacteria, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. However, it faces challenges such as a narrow thermal processing window and complex flow properties.
In the previous project “Processing of wood fibre reinforced PHA”, the team successfully developed new compounds and processing technologies that drastically reduced the costs of products made from these biobased and biodegradable materials. These advances pave the way for financially feasible applications and also for the next stage.
Next phase
The new grant, starting in August 2025, aims to further develop innovative material and process technologies for wood fibre reinforced PHAs at higher TRL levels. Kolja Ostendorf, R&D Scientist at Holzmühle Westerkamp explains the four main aims: “In this second phase, the project will focus on further optimizing wood fibre reinforced PHA compounds in terms of fibre loading, mechanical performance and cost efficiency, while also investigating their biodegradation behaviour. The partners will work towards creating demonstrator products using both injection moulding and fast sintering techniques, showcasing the potential of these materials in practical applications.”
Rik Voerman, project leader at Triple Benefit, emphasizes: “The market shows a steady and yet ever faster growing interest in PHA materials. We are excited to be part of early developments with this entirely new group of materials that offer extreme environmental benefits and potentially can make the world more sustainable in the long run.”
With this second grant, EMPHATI partners Triple Benefit and Holzmühle Westerkamp GmbH continue to advance the development of sustainable, cost-effective, and innovative biopolymer solutions for the future. The BIO Cooperative wishes the project team every success in realizing their ambitious goals and looks forward to seeing the promising results of this next phase.
