Nereid Biomaterials, spun out of the University of Santa Barbara, is developing ocean-degradable materials to replace plastics in sensors, fishing traps and other instruments. Too often, these tools outlive their purpose and, once abandoned, endanger marine life.
Plastic pollution causes many problems. Since it doesn’t break down, it builds up in the food chain, and larger pieces can damage the internal organs of fish, mammals and seabirds, according to Alyson Santoro, CEO and a co-founder of the startup, part of the 2025 cohort at FourthWave, an accelerator for women-led startups in partnership with Sacramento State.
The other co-founders are Melissa Omand and Anne Meyer. Made up of material scientists, microbiologists and oceanographers, the Nereid Bio team is developing the technology based on polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHA, a natural compound produced by bacteria. In the ocean, microbes can “eat” this material, leaving no microplastics or toxic residue behind.
While PHA isn’t new, the team has taken a novel approach to make the material even more biodegradable. By embedding additives directly into the material, they can fine-tune how fast it breaks down, depending on the instrument’s purpose.
“We’ve developed a way to embed microbes into the polymer as objects are being formed,” Santoro says. “You use a lot of heat to make plastic, so the enzymes and bacteria have to survive the heating process. That way, the instrument begins eating itself as soon as it hits the water.”