ForMatter/Materials/biomaterial/PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate)
mat_bioplastic_pha

PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate)

thermoplastic, biopolyester, microbially-produced · polyhydroxyalkanoate, PHB, PHBV, bio-PHA
mediumlast updated 2026-04-26
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

A plastic that bacteria make as an internal energy store — fermented commercially, harvested, processed into pellets, and molded like any thermoplastic. Biodegrades not just in industrial composters but in soil, fresh water, and seawater. The most genuinely circular bioplastic available, and still the most expensive.

Family of microbially-synthesized polyesters (PHB, PHBV, PHBH, etc.) produced by bacteria (Cupriavidus necator, Halomonas) fed sugar, vegetable oil, or methane. Properties tunable through copolymer composition. PHBV is the workhorse — Tg ~5 °C, Tm 140–180 °C; brittle pure, tougher when blended with PLA or processed via slow crystallization.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa35
  • elastic_modulus_gpa2.5
  • elongation_at_break_pct5
source: Danimer Scientific Nodax PHA datasheet; literature (Bugnicourt et al.)

thermal

  • glass_transition_c5
  • melting_point_c165
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk0.18

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg1.95
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitybiodegradable in soil, fresh water, and seawater per ASTM D6691; industrially compostable; chemical recycling possible but uneconomic at current scale
  • biodegradableTrue
  • certificationsTÜV OK Biodegradable MARINE, TÜV OK Compost, ASTM D6400, ASTM D6691
visual
off-white to natural ivory, matte to slight gloss, takes pigment without trouble
tactile
warm, smooth, slightly waxy
weight perception
light
acoustic
very dull tap — close to PLA

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere matte finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      matte
albedo        #e8d8b8
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.75
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#e8d8b8",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) · finish: matte
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_bioplastic_pha")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.807, 0.6867, 0.4793, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.750
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) · finish: matte
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_bioplastic_pha", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (232, 216, 184))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.750)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) \u00b7 finish: matte",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.807,
    "g": 0.6867,
    "b": 0.4793
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_bioplastic_pha",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.807,
          0.6867,
          0.4793,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.75
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) · finish: matte
def Material "mat_bioplastic_pha" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_bioplastic_pha/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.807, 0.6867, 0.4793)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.750
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessInjection Molding · Extrusion
Used inFood Packaging
Substitutes
PLA (Polylactic Acid)
PETG (Glycol-Modified PET)

Citations

  • datasheet · Danimer Scientific Nodax PHA technical literature.
  • book · Lefteri (ed.), *Ingredients* No. 2 (September 2007), introduction p. 4–5 — context on the plastics-industry move toward petroleum alternatives.
  • url · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhydroxyalkanoates