The CSP is featured on The Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ) December issue – State’s New Crop: Bioplastics. Innovation at a University of Minnesota research center fuels startups aiming to replace petroleum-based products.
The article covers a range of highlights from the CSP over the past year:
- Floral Foam Company with CSP Connections Wins MN Cup– BKB Floral Foam Inc., a local startup and 2022 MN Cup winner, looks to disrupt an estimated $500 million market for floral foam. CSP researchers partnered with BKB Floral Foam founders Dundee and Ian Butcher to develop these renewable and biodegradable foams. CSP alum David Goldfeld is the CTO of the venture, supporting the commercialization of the technology that came from CSP research.
- Valerian Materials Awarded a BioMADE Technology and Innovation Project at White House Summit– Valerian Materials, a spin-off company founded in 2015 based on research out of the CSP (by Dr. Kechun Zhang, Dr. Frank Bates, and Dr. Marc Hillmyer), was awarded a Biomade Technology And Innovation Project for $1.2 million in 2022 at the White House Summit. The aim of this project is to optimize the fermentation and downstream processing of betamethylvalerolactone, eventually incorporating it into sustainable and bio-derived elastomers, foams, and adhesives.
- Låkril Technologies Launches to Commercialize Sustainable Acrylics– Låkril Technologies, a start-up company launched by CSP Investigator Paul Dauenhauer in 2021, aims to commercialize sustainable acrylics at prices that compete with petroleum using traditional chemical refining approaches.
In the MSPBJ article, CSP Director Marc Hillmyer notes that along with these achievements he aims to build on the interest in this topic: “I want to continue to … bring more to the intersection of sustainable science and economics as we move forward in this space.”
Read the full story on the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal website and check out the CSP cover for the digital edition.
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