ANIMPOL

Biotechnological conversion of carbon containing wastes for eco-efficient production of high added value products

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The applicants propose the development of a sound industrial process that unites the urgently needed solution of industrial waste problems with the creation of essential alternative strategies for polymer industry. This will be done by the biotechnological conversion of waste streams from slaughterhouses, rendering and biodiesel industry towards biodegradable polymeric materials. Slaughterhouse waste is converted towards fatty acid esters (FAMEs, biodiesel). Subsequently those FAME fractions that negatively influence the biodiesel properties as a fuel are biotechnologically converted towards high-value polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers. This brings together representatives of the envisaged lead users: waste producers from animal processing industry and bio-fuel industry with the polymer industry looking for alternatives technologies. Providing long-term strategies for long-term problems, the project will result in value creation for all players and provide innovative biotechnological approaches for absolutely needed eco-efficient alternatives to contemporary industrial polymer production. The development of this integrated process will be accomplished by beyond the state-of–the-art inputs of microbiology, genetics, biotechnology, chemical engineering, polymer chemistry- and processing and life cycle analysis, combined with feasibility studies for marketing of the final products. The compiled Consortium absolutely conforms to the requirements to fulfill the envisaged project aims. Research will be done in close cooperation between academic and industrial partners. The project activities aim at solving local waste problems affecting the entire EU; the solutions will be developed on local scales, but are meant to be applied to the entire EU and will provide cost-efficient and sound alternatives for polymer industry.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

It is nowadays undisputed that classical plastic materials should be replaced by biocompatible and biodegradable alternatives. To this end, a European study set out to utilise waste material from animal slaughterhouses to synthesise novel plastics.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Plastics such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) pose an environmental hazard as they elevate the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration during incineration. Ecological considerations therefore necessitate the replacement of these materials with bio-based alternatives like polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).

PHAs constitute a family of biodegradable and biocompatible polyesters with a wide spectrum of potential applications ranging from simple packaging to medical and pharmaceutical materials. Investigators of the EU-funded http://www.animpol.tugraz.at/englisch/eng_home.htm (ANIMPOL) project wished to synthesise PHAs from animal waste derived from slaughterhouses.

ANIMPOL had to consider the high cost of PHA production compared to petrochemically produced plastics while avoiding the use of nutritionally important materials to mankind. Given the limitations of current technologies, the consortium selected saturated fat of porcine, bovine and avian origin. These would be exploited to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) that can be used as liquid fuel (biodiesel).

A variety of animal waste materials were also used as a carbon source for various microbial PHA producers. The fermentation reaction conditions were extensively investigated to maximise production yield.

Experiments were converted into mathematical models to predict the different types of fermentation performed by the two chosen bacterial species (Cupriavidus necator and Pseudomonas chlororaphis) on different substrates. Significant optimisation was also performed with respect to the PHA recovery techniques.

The overall streamline process of PHA production from slaughterhouse animal waste was verified to be cost effective, environmentally safe and efficient. Given the public demand for the plastics market to turn to 'green' alternatives, the ANIMPOL approach constitutes a viable strategy for producing biodegradable polymers.