Newlight AirCarbon - Methanogen-Based Bioplastic — Newlight Technologies

Biological model: Methanotrophic bacteria (methane-oxidising microorganisms)

Company: Newlight Technologies

Methanotrophic bacteria inspire carbon-negative bioplastic from greenhouse gases, converting methane to polyhydroxyalkanoate polymer.

The challenge

Conventional bioplastics require agricultural land and are carbon-neutral at best. Plastic production generates 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Materials that sequester carbon whilst providing plastic performance are needed.

Nature's strategy

Methanotrophic bacteria oxidise methane and synthesise polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers, converting greenhouse gases into structural biomass without external energy.

What was emulated

Methane oxidation; polymer biosynthesis from single-carbon substrates; anaerobic metabolism; waste-gas utilisation; full biodegradability; carbon sequestration.

The innovation

Industrial fermentation of methanotrophic bacteria to convert methane into polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymer, creating carbon-negative material from waste greenhouse gases.

Full case study

Methanotrophic bacteria possess an astonishing metabolic ability: they oxidise methane (the most potent greenhouse gas) and convert it directly into structural biopolymers—polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)—without external energy input, powered only by methane oxidation. This biological alchemy captures atmospheric carbon and builds it into useful polymeric materials. Newlight Technologies engineered this process at scale, cultivating methanotrophic bacteria in fermentation systems, feeding them greenhouse gases (methane from landfills, agricultural waste, or industrial emissions), and harvesting the resulting PHA polymer. Unlike conventional bioplastics (which require agricultural inputs and are carbon-neutral at best), Newlight's AirCarbon is carbon-negative: the carbon sequestered in the polymer exceeds the CO2 released during production. Field-life-cycle assessments show AirCarbon products (packaging, textiles, consumer goods) offsetting more carbon than conventional plastics whilst remaining fully compostable. The fermentation process uses renewable or waste energy sources, and spent biomass returns to nutrient cycles. By harnessing a biological process normally occurring in landfills and oceans, Newlight created a material system that turns an environmental liability (greenhouse gas emissions) into an asset (carbon-sequestering material).