Meredian Holdings Group Inc.

Meredian Holdings Group Inc., also known as MHG, is a biopolymer manufacturer based out of Bainbridge, Georgia. MHG is the holding company of Meredian Inc., DaniMer Scientific and AgroCRUSH.^[1]

Danimer’s expertise in customizing biopolymer formulations allow them to use a wide variety of applications such as: additives, extrusion coating, extrusion lamination, film resins, hot melt adhesives, injection molding, thermoforming, and wax replacement polymers, to create 100% biodegradable alternatives to traditional plastic products.

Background

Meredian Inc.

Meredian Inc., a privately owned corporation under Meredian Holdings Group, is a manufacturer of polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHA.^[2] Originally formed in 2004, Meredian produces durable, 100% biodegradable and compostable bioplastics.^[3] Meredian has received biodegradable certifications in all 6 mediums: anaerobic, soil, freshwater, marine, industrial composting, home composting, and biobased.

Meredian purchased Procter & Gamble’s intellectual property on PHA technology in 2007, which is the basis for Meredian’s manufacturing process of bioplastic polymers.^[3]

In 2012 the company unveiled their 190,000 sq. ft facility in Bainbridge, GA. The pilot plant that is currently operating at the site produces 400 pounds/week, with an estimation of 3,000 pounds/week once the plant is fully functioning.^[4][5]

In 2013 Chief Executive Officer Dr. Paul Pereira joined the Executive Team of MHG.

Dr. Isao Noda joined Meredian Inc. in 2013 after spending thirty years with Procter & Gamble, where he developed specific types of PHAs known as medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA). The patented version of mcl-PHA is known as Nodax™, and it is the primary product developed for global manufactured production.^[6] Nodax has a chemical structure which resembles linear low-density polyethylene.

In 2014 the company received a Food and Substance Contact Notification approval from the United States Food and Drug Association (FDA). The sole-verification guarantees that their biopolymers are safe to use in food containers and storage.

DaniMer Scientific

The company was formed in 2004 by S. Blake Lindsey to create biodegradable and sustainable solutions to the global dependency on traditional plastics, by using biopolymer materials such as polylactic acid (PLA). DaniMer Scientific specializes in customizing biopolymer formulations.

The company received the Sustainability Award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in 2007 for their Ecotainer coffee cup, which used a plastic biopolymer derived from corn for the inner lining. Through their partnership with International Paper's Coated Paperboard and Foodservice businesses Danimer created a product made from renewable resources, which could be composted “under the right conditions”.^[7]

In 2006, the Small Business Innovation Research(SBIR) program awarded Danimer with a Phase 1 monetary grant of $80,000 for their “Creation of Cost Competitive Biodegradable Films from Renewable Resources for Agriculture”. The following year the SBIR awarded the company with a Phase 2 monetary grant of $346,000 for the same title, stating that the project's objective was to use renewable materials to develop agricultural mulch films that could adequately degrade before the next growing season^[8]

In 2010, DaniMer Scientific received a contract for $846,828 from the organization, Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) to develop an environmentally friendly fracturing treatment for hydrocarbon production, now known as SqueezeFrac.^[9]

September 2011 Danimer Scientific and minority business enterprise, Sijo Global Partners, formed a strategic affiliation where Sijo would offer Danimer’s bioplastic products to market leaders and brand owners.^[10]

In January 2013 DaniMer and Henkel formed a partnership to further develop bio-based hot melt adhesives for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container packaging that are made with 50% renewable content or higher.^[11]

AgroCrush

AgroCRUSH is a canola cold-press crushing operation which uses locally grown, non-GMO canola as the food stock for PHA production. By integrating the planting and harvesting of canola, crushing and cold-pressing the seed, and the proprietary manufacturing process MHG creates PHA in a pelletized plastic feedstock.^[12]

AgroCRUSH formed a partnership with farmers in the tri-state area, allowing Meredian to harvest non-GMO canola seed farmed locally. Since canola is a winter crop that is planted in November and harvested in May, it allows for another crop to be grown during the summer season.^[13]

By growing locally, farmers can save about $1/ bushel of additional costs to transport loads north. During the harvest of May 2013, 43 bushels were produced per acre. MHG intends to work with farmers in the area to plant 14,000 acres of canola fall of 2015.^[4]

Merger

In February 2014 Danimer Scientific and Meridian Incorporated merged under the wholly owned subsidiary company, Meredian Holdings Group, Inc. With the merge into MHG, DaniMer expanded from creating solely PLA to additionally assisting with sister company, Meredian Inc.’s PHA process. Upon the merger, the shareholders from Meredian and DaniMer all hold equal shares of both companies.^[14]

Along with the name change, the company has created a new corporate identity through branding changes such as the corporate logo and website.^[15]

Process

Meredian manufactures PHA bioplastics from renewable and natural resources. Working in partnership with sister companies Danimer Scientific and AgroCrush, Meredian creates bioplastic feedstock from cold-pressed canola oil.

Agrofacturing

MHG’s business model vertically integrates into the supply chain by harvesting locally grown canola and using a crushing plant to turn the seed into oil.^[16] This process, trademarked by MHG,^[17] is known as agrofacturing. The seed is harvested, then crushed in a cold-press, non-solvent process at AgroCRUSH. Their process of cold-pressing canola seed does not use hexane, therefore classifying it as a cold-pressed process.

Canola seed’s attributes make it an appealing component as the seeds contain roughly 42% oil by weight and a portion of each canola seed harvest is saved for replanting for the next season, while the byproducts from the cold-pressing process are used for livestock feed and fertilizer.^[18]

Microorganism & Fermentation

After the canola seed is filtered into high-quality canola oil through the cold-pressing process, it is transferred to Meredian’s proprietary bio-reactors.^[12] There, the canola oil is fed to naturally occurring, soil borne bacteria and cultivated in a variety of quantities.^[19] The labs culture a diversity of microorganisms which result in production of PHA in their cell walls through biosynthesis.

MHG produces quantities ranging from half a liter to 10 liters in the lab, to multiple tanks with the capacity range of 20,000 liters to 45,000 and up to 130,000 liters in the manufacturing plant.

Non-Solvent Water Extraction

To extract PHA from the cell walls of the cultivated microorganisms, MHG uses a patented non-solvent, water-based extraction process which separates the PHA from the other biomass. It is then filtered, lysed and centrifuged to isolate the final mcl-PHA product. By not using toxic chemicals, the water extraction process produces a clean, dried white powder.^[3]

Reactive Extrusion

After the plant-based materials have gone through the non-solvent water extraction process, they are transferred into a reactive extruder, which mixes and compounds the materials in a proprietary, patented procedure that creates a customized biopolymer resin pellet.^[16]

Executive Team

• Dr. Paul Pereira, Executive Chairman and CEO

Before joining Paul Pereira had his last major engagement with Netserv in Jamaica. (http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/news/20275_JLP-will-prosecute-Pereira--says-Shaw)

• Dr. Isao Noda, Senior Vice President and Innovation and Chief Science Officer^[20]
• John A. Dowdy III, Chief Financial Officer
• Michael Smith, Chief Operating Officer
• Scott Tuten, Chief Marketing Officer
• Phil Van Trump, Chief Technology Officer
• S. Blake Lindsey, Chief Administrative Officer & Founder^[21]

Customers

• Henkel
• Halliburton
• Pepsico
• BASF
• FKUR
• SC Johnson
• Kimberly Clarke
• Procter & Gamble
• Clopay
• RJ Reynolds
• SOLO/DART
• Abbot Labs
• Graphic Packing
• International Paper

Certifications

Meredian Inc.

• Meredian received sole-verification from the FDA for food substance contact^[18]
• In late March 2014 Tate & Lyle validated the replication of their formulation and proprietary process as scalable for global production.
• Vinçotte (company) OK Compost
• Vincotte OK Home
• Vincotte OK Soil
• Vincotte OK Water
• Vincotte OK Biobased^[22]

DaniMer Scientific

• Hot Melt Adhesives are ASTM 6400 compostable
• Film Resins are certified compostable to ASTM D6400-99 or ASTM D686803 standards
• DaniMer 26806 Extrusion Coating Resin are ASTM certified as compostable
• Injection Molding Resins are certifiable to ASTM D6400-99 or ASTM D6868-03 standards as compostable
• Thermoforming Resins are certifiable to ASTM D6400-99 or ASTM D6868-03 standards as compostable
• Wax Replacement Resins are ASTM certifiable as compostable
• SSCCP certification for anaerobic digestion for Danimer 12291
• SSCCP certification for biodegradability in marine environments for Danimer 12291
• Vincotte OK Compost for DaniMer resin 12261^[23]
• Vincotte OK Compost for DaniMer resin 12263^[24]
• Vincotte OK Compost for DaniMer resin 11220^[25]
• Vincotte OK Compost for DaniMer resin 12291^[26][27]
• Vincotte OK Home for Danimer resin 12291^[26][28]
• Vincotte OK Soil for Danimer resin 12291^[26][29]
• Vincotte OK Water for Danimer resin 12291^[26][30]

References