PHA bioplastics: Production route
Stiff, tough or soft: the PHA family explained
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.PHA is a family. The main commercial types are PHB and PHBV (stiff, crystalline), PHBH (Kaneka's tougher copolymer), mcl-PHA from oils (Danimer's PHA), and amorphous PHA (CJ's aPHA, used as a softener and blend partner). All are made by bacterial fermentation followed by extraction. The main cost drivers are feedstock yield (often only 0.3-0.5 t PHA per t sugar, indicative), fermentation productivity and solvent recovery, which make PHA several times dearer than PLA or PE.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar-fed fermentation (scl-PHA and aPHA) | a large share of current output (indicative) | about 2-3 t sugar per t PHA (indicative) | CJ Pasuruan, Indonesia, about 5 kt/yr (indicative) | about 0.3-0.5 t per t sugar (indicative) | cell biomass | several $/kg (indicative) |
| Plant-oil-fed fermentation (PHBH, mcl-PHA) | significant (indicative) | about 1-1.5 t oil per t PHA (indicative) | Kaneka Japan and Danimer Kentucky and Georgia plants of tens of kt/yr (indicative) | about 0.6-0.8 t per t oil (indicative) | cell biomass | soybean oil at $912-1,781/t (Feb 2024 to May 2026, World Bank via soybeans tile) makes feedstock alone about $1-2/kg |
| Waste and gas-fed PHA (waste oils, methane, mixed cultures) | small | waste carbon | pilot to small commercial | not published | not published | not published |
| Compounding and blends | most sold grades are compounds (indicative) | not applicable | compounders such as Teknor Apex (now owner of Danimer) | not applicable | none | dilutes PHA cost |
How each route works
Sugar-fed fermentation (scl-PHA and aPHA)Engineered bacteria ferment glucose or sucrose and accumulate PHA granules; CJ Biomaterials makes semi-crystalline and amorphous PHA.
Simple feed; low yield.
Plastics Today 2025; indicative Plant-oil-fed fermentation (PHBH, mcl-PHA)Bacteria fed vegetable oils such as canola produce PHA with higher yield per tonne of feed than sugar; used by Kaneka and formerly Danimer (indicative).
Higher yield; dearer feed.
indicative; rapeseed tile Waste and gas-fed PHA (waste oils, methane, mixed cultures)Mixed microbial cultures on wastewater or engineered strains on methane make PHA from low-cost carbon (Newlight AirCarbon, indicative).
Cheap feed; variable quality.
indicative Compounding and blendsPHA is blended with PLA, PBAT or fillers to balance cost, toughness and degradation.
Practical; lowers bio content.
Elevenflo 2026; indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.