POLYMERS-5B: Towards the Creation of a Bioplastics Supply Chain | 16.08.2024
The online magazine Materia Rinnovabile | Renewable Matter explores critical issues in the transition to a circular economy, providing a platform for experts, policy makers, innovators, designers, and entrepreneurs.
The present editorial, written by Riccardo Varotto of NSBproject Srl, examines the Polymers-5B project’s efforts to establish a sustainable bioplastics supply chain, leveraging biocatalysis technology to drive innovation in the polymerization of monomers for diverse industrial applications.
POLYMERS-5B: Towards the Creation of a Bioplastics Supply Chain
On June 17th and 18th was held in Lisbon, Spain, the first meeting of the Polymers-5B project’s partners, one of the most promising initiatives funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a European public-private partnership. The goal of the project is to transform agri-food waste into sustainable bioplastics, reducing environmental impact and promoting the transition to a bio-based circular economy.
Polymers-5B, a Consortium for Innovation
The project, led by the Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e o Desenvolvimento (IST-ID) in Lisbon, brings together 12 partners from across Europe, including the Italian company NSBproject srl as innovation broker. The objective of Polymers-5B is to develop bioplastics from agri-food waste such as tomato and olive by-products and underutilized woody residues.
With €5.6 million in funding from CBE JU – which, it should be noted, is a partnership between the EU Commission and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), a private non-profit organization established in 2013 to represent the interests of the private sector in the continent’s Green Transition process – Polymers-5B is one of 31 projects launched at the end of May 2024 by the mission, thanks to over €215 million allocated to research and validation projects aimed at promoting the bioeconomy in Europe.
From biorefineries to the promotion of new agri-industrial supply chains, the research projects launched in May 2024 by CBE JU involve industries ranging from chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics to design, construction and agri-food, and will redefine the boundaries and horizons of the biobased economy over the next four years.
The new biocatalysis technology
Polymers-5B stands out from other newly launched project because is based on biocatalysis technology for the polymerization of monomers, an innovative and sustainable approach to polymer production that, by harnessing the precision and efficiency of enzymes, enables more environmentally friendly and cost-effective synthesis processes.
Mainly used in experimental settings and pilot projects, biocatalysis has not yet been adopted on an industrial scale, but projects like Polymers-5B aim to bring this technology out of the labs. Specifically, Polymers-5B aims to test these technologies to create new high-performance polymers for specific applications, as well as prototypes, for the textile and automotive sectors, resins and films for furniture.
The bio-based circular economy
Through biocatalysis and green chemistry, the consortium aims to create innovative materials that mimic traditional plastics but with a significantly reduced environmental impact. Polymers-5B will invest in the selection of bio-renewable monomers from tomato waste, olive oil, and wood pulp. The project not only aims to develop new materials but also to implement sustainable extraction processes, using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. Additionally, it aims to create circular supply chains and, ultimately, ensure the environmental sustainability of products and final applications by evaluating their life cycle.
A concrete example of the project’s impact is the participation of Bonlex Europe, a Treviso-based company controlled by the Japanese group C.I. Takiron Corporation and specialized in the production of decorative films for the furniture and design industries. Bonlex Europe will contribute to the project by characterizing materials and testing bio-based films in furniture and interior design components. Polymers-5B could thus have a significant impact on the furniture sector and open new market opportunities for bio-based products.
Towards a sustainable future
The anticipated impact of Polymers-5B is significant. Creating bioplastics from agricultural waste will not only reduce plastic pollution but also open new market opportunities for bio-based products, driving the European bioeconomy forward. This project represents an important step towards transforming the plastics sector, steering it towards a more sustainable and circular future. Despite the enthusiasm for the potential of bioplastics, doubts remain about the ability of businesses to fully harness the potential of bio-based innovation. The project aims to support EU transition policies and global commitments on bioeconomy and climate change.
Polymer-5B is one of three projects dedicated to the development of bioplastics that has just begun and will conclude in 2028. The other two, which began over two years ago, are already yielding initial results, opening up positive prospects for the development of a European bioeconomy, aimed at reducing fossil components in materials – currently accounting for 97% – in favor of bio-based materials, which according to CBE JU, cover 1.5% of the economy.
The Lisbon meeting is a valuable opportunity to plan activities for the coming months and strengthen collaboration among the Polymers-5B partners. The commitment is to disseminate and capitalize on the results achieved, promoting greater awareness and adoption of bio-based solutions.
> (IT version) Varotto R., Polymers-5B: verso la creazione di una filiera delle bioplastiche
