Microbial production of PHA from C1-gas and organic residues from agriculture, industry and municipal waste streams (projects: SYNPOL, CELBICON, REFUCOAT, AFTERLIFE, ENGICOIN, AgriLoop)

1. The EU-FP7 SYNPOL project aimed to propel the sustainable production of new biopolymers from C1 gas feedstock. SYNPOL established a platform that integrated biopolymer production through modern processing technologies, with bacterial fermentation of syngas, and the pyrolysis of highly complex biowaste (e.g., municipal, commercial, sludge, agricultural). The R&D activities focussed on the integration of innovative physico-chemical, biochemical, downstream and synthetic technologies to produce a wide range of new biopolymers. This integrative platform was revolutionary in its implementation of novel microwave pyrolytic treatments together with systems-biology defined highly efficient and physiologically balanced recombinant bacteria. The latter produced biopolymer building blocks and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) that served to synthesize novel bio-based plastic prototypes by chemical and enzymatic catalysis. 

More information at www.synpol.org

2.The objective of the EU-H2020 CELBICON project is to establish three platforms for the capture and conversion of CO₂ (carbon dioxide) by electrochemical and biochemical technologies. For its part, the CIB will participate in the platform that integrates the production of bioplastics (PHA, polyhydroxyalkanoates) by the biotransformation of CO₂. The CO₂ consuming bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum naturally produces bioplastics and will be optimized for the CELBICON project by Systems and Synthetic Biology based strategies. The goal of CELBICON is to stem atmospheric carbon emissions by recycling CO₂ through biotransformation into bioplastics and other value-added products such as isoprene and lactic acid. In this sense, CELBICON will support the EU´s target to reduce CO₂ emissions by 2020.

More information at www.celbicon.org

3. The EU-H2020-BBI RefuCoat project aims to develop hybrid bio-based high oxygen/water barrier and active coatings to be used in a monolayer bio-based food packages (films and trays) as alternative to current metallised and modified atmosphere (MAP) packages to avoid the use of non-renewable materials in multilayer structures that currently lead to complex and expensive recycling steps. Hybrid coating formulations will combine cost efficiently produced polyglycolic acid (PGA) and modified silica oxide. Fully biodegradable packages for fresh food products will be obtained with middle chain modified polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). PGA and PHA based hybrid coatings with high gas barrier properties will be further improved with active substances for improved shelf-life. Furthermore, new packages based on bio-PET and bio-PE combined with hybrid and active coatings will be developed. The generated products will be validated and compared to current metallised, non-bio-based alternatives in industrial products, in performance, shelf-life and biodegradability. The CIB participates in this project on the middle chain modified PHA production from renewable resources and the characterization of the PHAs produced.

More information at www.refucoat.eu

4. The EU-H2020-BBI project AFTERLIFE proposes a flexible, cost- and resource-efficient process framed in the zero-waste and circular economy approach for the recovery and valorisation of the relevant fractions from wastewater. The first step of such process is consisting of a cascade of membrane filtration units for the separation of the totally of solids in wastewater. Then, the concentrates recovered in each unit will be treated to obtain high-pure extracts and metabolites or, alternatively, to be converted into value-added biopolymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Moreover, the outflow of the process is an ultra-pure water stream that can be directly reused. The design and optimisation of the AFTERLIFE process following a holistic approach will contribute to improve performance and reduce the costs associated to wastewater treatment by maximising the value recovery. The CIB participates in this project on the selection and improvement of bacterial strains in pure cultures for the conversion of VFA (volatile fatty acids) into PHAs at lab scale as well as in the PHAs characterization and comparison.

More information at www.afterlife-project.eu

5. The EU-H2020 project ENGICOIN aims at the development new microbial factories (MFs), integrated in an organic waste anaerobic digestion (AD) platform, based on engineered strains exploiting CO₂ sources and renewable solar radiation or H₂ for the production of value-added chemicals.The central goal of ENGICOIN is to stem atmospheric carbon emissions by recycling CO₂ through biotransformation into value-added products such PHA. In this sense, ENGICOIN will support the EU´s target to reduce CO₂ emissionsby 2020. In collaboration with the Environmental Microbiology group led by Eduardo Díaz, POLYBIO group participates in this project on the development of a new microbial factory with the aerobic and toxic metal tolerant Cupriavidus necator to produce PHA bioplastics from biogas combustion flue gases added with renewable hydrogen.

More information at www.engicoin.eu

6. The 35 partners of the Horizonte Europe AgriLoop project aim to extend the agricultural production value by eco-efficiently upgrading underexploited residues into a portfolio of high added-value bio-products able to generate new bio-based markets or to compete with, and gain market share of, oil- and food crops-based equivalents. The POLYBIO group of CIB will participate in this international collaborative project by applying some agricultural residues for the production and extraction of biopolymers of the PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) type for its subsequent use as bioplastic material.

More information at: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101081776