Energy

Consortium to investigate straw residues for bioplastic manufacture

Consortium to investigate straw residues for bioplastic manufactureThe ADMIT BioSuccInnovate Consortium, a group consisting of Imperial University, Aberystwyth University, French biorefining company CIMV and Netherlands-based Reverdia which will contribute its Biosuccinium sustainable biosuccinic acid technology to the project), is to investigate the use of agricultural waste such as wheat and maize straw, and low-maintenance energy crops including elephant grass and willow as raw materials in the production of biosuccinic acid – a chemical building clock used to produce bioplastics.

The project, funded by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), is an initiative of the Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest public-private partnership that focuses on innovative ways to mitigate climate change.

It is aiming to use the research to produce biodegradable packaging for consumer markets, in association with retailer Waitrose and food tray producer Sharpak.

In addition, the collaboration will create a toolkit called the Integrated Sustainability Assessment Tool (ISAT).

It is hoped that the ISAT will help industries understand the techno-economic issues associated with products made from agricultural waste streams, as well as understanding the environmental impacts across the whole of the product’s life in an effort to help close the loop.

The consortium will also look at land management practices to see if the resilience of farming to climate change can be improved.

Imperial University states that the environmental drive to move away from plastics made from fossil fuels has over the past few years generated a number of innovations in bioplastics, including the process of extracting the biosuccinic acid building blocks from corn and wheat grain.

However, it says, the high hopes for commercial exploitation of this process foundered, as these raw materials were already in demand in the food and animal feed industries, leading to concerns about competition.   

Sustainable development needs 'whole-systems' thinking

Dr Jeremy Woods from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial is leading the project that will underpin the toolkit. His team will deliver a life cycle assessment of the bioplastics, including techno-economic issues, crop propagation and the disposal of bioplastics.

Working in tandem with LCAworks Ltd and the University of Geneva, they will attempt to develop more efficient ways to produce the feedstocks for biosuccinic acid production.

Commenting on the project, Woods said: “To move forward with bioplastics, we need to investigate cheap, readily available and sustainable alternatives that are also economically viable and socially acceptable.

“Our ISAT toolkit will support the continuous development of sustainable production practices for Biosuccinium production within the EU member states, and ultimately increase the viability of farming whilst reducing the amount of plastic produced from fossil fuels.

“This project is an excellent example of the kind of ‘whole-systems’ thinking that is needed if we are going to move to more sustainable ways of using the land, and at the same time mitigate and adapt to climate change.”

Karen Graley, Manager of Packaging and Reprographics at Waitrose, added: “The use of lignocellulosic feedstock for the production of bio-based plastic packaging from Biosuccinium is one of the ways we are ensuring that we tread lightly.  This project is hoped to contribute to the Waitrose sustainable packaging strategy for 2020 and beyond and endorse the partner’s collaboration in making renewable packaging a commercial reality."

Find out more about the European Institute of Innovation & Technology.