Carbios hits development milestone in Thanaplast project
Biotechnology firm Carbios has received 1.7 million euros from BPI France following the completion of the first phase of its Thanaplast project.
Carbios has secured 1.68 million euros in funding from BPI France after reaching a key milestone in the Thanaplast project. The company has developed a suite of biological catalysts capable of degrading ten primary plastic polymers, marking a significant step toward industrial-scale plastic waste recovery.
Research conducted alongside Valagro confirmed that enzymes can be integrated into plastic materials and remain active at temperatures up to 170 degrees Celsius. This breakthrough allows for the modulation of degradation rates, moving the project into its pre-industrial development phase for biodegradable plastics.
Thanaplast is a five-year, 22 million-euro initiative involving over 60 researchers from various academic and industrial partners, including the CNRS and INRA. Supported by 9.6 million euros in public funding, the project aims to address the significant volume of plastic waste currently failing to enter recycling streams in Europe.