Today, synthetic fibers that are both biobased and truly biodegradable outside of industrial composting conditions are still largely missing. PHA offers the promise of being both biobased and fully biodegradable, but it is very difficult to spin into good-quality fibers. A new melt-spinning approach is being developed to turn PHA into reliable, high-performance fibers at semi-industrial scale. 

When manufacturers try to melt spin pure PHA, they quickly run into trouble: the processing window is extremely narrow and its crystallization during cooling is hard to control. As a result, most work with PHA fibers stays in the lab, using slow and expensive methods, while larger-scale production depends on blends or structures where PHA is only a secondary component. This means the full sustainability potential of PHA cannot yet be used in real-world products. 

The solution focuses on adapting and refining the melt-spinning process specifically for PHA, with the goal of making it stable, repeatable and suitable for larger-scale production. Instead of treating PHA like any other polymer, the process is designed around its particular characteristics, so that fibers with consistent quality and performance can be produced more reliably. Different processing routes are being considered to ensure that PHA, whether used alone or as the main component in a fiber, can be transformed into materials that meet industrial requirements without relying on complex, lab-only methods

Proof of Concept

By making PHA fibers practical at larger scale, this technology can bring fully biobased and fully biodegradable fibers into everyday applications. It offers an alternative to fossil-based and non-degradable materials, while using a melt-spinning process that does not rely on harmful solvents. These new fibers can reinforce composites for construction, furniture and automotive parts, and can also be used in textiles and nonwovens where performance and biodegradability both matter. 

The main users are fiber manufacturers who want to produce PHA or PHA-rich fibers on existing or adapted melt-spinning lines. Downstream, composite producers, textile and nonwoven companies can turn these fibers into sustainable products for building materials, furniture, vehicle interiors and fabrics. Brands and product developers focused on sustainability benefit as well, gaining access to high-performance materials with a much lower environmental footprint. 

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