A leading class of biopolymer, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have gained widespread attention due to their similar physical and mechanical properties to traditional plastics like polypropylene. Nereid has successfully produced prototypes for commercial partners using techniques including injection molding and 3D-printing. Our material is amenable to current manufacturing processes.

Nereid is developing an adhesive “sticker” containing PHA-degrading bacteria. When placed onto a PHA object, the bacteria within the sticker will begin to degrade the object it has been placed on, rapidly enhancing the rate at which the material will degrade.

Our innovative materials use polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as base polymers, to which we compound nutrient additives and bacterial cells. These “living materials” represent a new class of materials capable of self-eating at the end of their service life. Of the current commercially available biopolymers, only PHAs are biodegradable in marine environments.

We are a team of material scientists, microbiologists, and oceanographers working across industry, academia, and government.