November 12, 2024 - Dutch startup Paques Biomaterials is set to develop a process for producing polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics from fermented biomass, including food waste.
Brian Oost, head of operations for Eska's solid board business, and René Rozendal, co-founder of Paques Biomaterials, signed a memorandum of understanding for the first full-scale PHA plant for paper and water.
PHA listed under the Caleyda brand
In recent days, Paques signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ESKA Nederland for the construction of an industrial-scale plant at the paper mill in Hoogezand, Holland, which will synthesize PHA starting with water from the papermaking process, the result of research begun ten years ago.
Once the first validation has taken place, an investment decision could be made by the middle of next year. A joint venture will then be established, feasibility studies completed and the necessary licenses applied for.
This is said to be the world's first and best recycling method to keep paper mill process water clean while producing PHA.The mill being studied by the two partners will purify process water for the paper industry by reusing the organic waste obtained to produce PHA.PHA is a bio-based and biodegradable polymer that can be used by ESKA as an adhesive or as a barrier coating for its paper and paperboard packaging. coating.
Specifically, the process water will be fermented and aerated in a series of bioreactors to obtain biomass that will be dried and converted to powder, from which Paques will obtain approximately 2,000 tons of PHA per year.The treated water will be returned to the paper mill, and the heat generated by the bioprocess will be reused in the process, with any excess energy going to the production plant.
ESKA, headquartered in the Netherlands and part of the RDM Group, produces compact paperboard from recycled fibers used in packaging and paper converting; it has two mills in the Netherlands - Sappemeer and Hoogezand - with a total capacity of 290,000 tons per year.
