Upcycling of PE and PET wastes to generate biodegradable bioplastics for food and drink packaging
Abstract
The upPE-T project aims upcycling recalcitrant oil-based plastics by bioconversion into biodegradable bioplastic for food and drink packaging production. Plastic packaging, which make up nearly 60% of the total plastic waste in Europe, is highly problematic from a waste management- and environmental- point of view due to their durability and resistance to degradation. Polyethylene (PE) and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are the leading plastic use in food and drink packaging (43% PE and 19% PET). The sustainable management of this plastic waste has become a very challenging problem for global society. In upPE-T we will include sustainable strategies as an alternative for plastic chemical degradation. The consortium will improve PE and PET depolymerization through enzymatic engineering to positively impact food and drink packaging recycling rate and achieving the European Union expected impact. In upPE-T we will turn PE and PET waste streams via enzymatic degradation and microbial assimilation into raw material for the production of biodegradable bioplastics. Finally, together with customers and food and drink brand owners, bio-based end-packaging will be demonstrated and validated to ensure fast market deployment. Additionally, in order to ensure 100% of PE and PET recyclability, plastic rejections not optimal for microbial bioconversion into bioplastics will be valorized by their use in building applications instead of be sent to incineration or landfilling.
keywords Plastic Recycling Enzyme technology Biotechnology International standardisation Nanobiotechnology
Publikationen
Project staff
Ines Fritz
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Ines Fritz
ines.fritz@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-97442
BOKU Project Leader
01.11.2020 - 30.04.2025
Christina Daffert
Christina Daffert MSc.
christina.daffert@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-97450
Project Staff
01.01.2022 - 31.08.2022
Antonia Josefine Zerobin
Dipl.-Ing. Antonia Josefine Zerobin
antonia.zerobin@boku.ac.at
Project Staff
01.09.2022 - 31.10.2024
BOKU partners
External partners
Centro Tecnológico de Calzado y del Plástico
Verónica Cánovas Hernández, PhD
sub-coordinator