For a sustainable future, it is important to replace conventional plastics with eco-friendly options. The EU project Deep Purple Research utilizes wastewater as a source of biomass to create recycled, eco-friendly products using purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB). In addition to making biofertilizers, carbon tetrachloride, and self-healing concrete, the project works to obtain biodegradable plastics from liquid and solid waste in wastewater, and that's how they do it.
Each year, the wastewater management system delivers tons of biomass to the wastewater treatment plant. Like toilet paper, a large portion of this waste contains cellulose. This Deep Purple project has discovered a new use for this cellulose. Aquatica A water management company in Spain collects cellulose from wastewater treatment plants. The Itaene Spain research center then cleans the cellulose and converts it into a white gel called cellulose nanofibers (CNF). Some of the gel is enzymatically converted into sugar Novamont's technology program partners ferment into 1,4-butanediol. This compound is the base material for the manufacture of films and packaging. The remaining CNF gel is dried and added as an additional ingredient to concrete and plastic products.
After cellulose extraction, the wastewater is mixed with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) after thermal hydrolysis at the Organic Waste Biogas Plant (OWBP), which is operated by FCC Media Environment. The mixture is then processed in an anaerobic PPB photobioreactor to obtain PHA-rich biomass via purple phototrophic bacteria.Activatec processes the PHA-rich biomass to extract and purify the PHA for the project partners.Natural Plastics blends this PHA with CNF to make biodegradable plastic composites. The mixture is then processed in an anaerobic PPB photobioreactor to obtain PHA-rich biomass via purple phototrophic bacteria.Activatec processes the PHA-rich biomass to extract and purify the PHA for the project partners.Natural Plastics blends this PHA with CNF to make biodegradable plastic composites.
NaturePlast developed formulations using CNF and PHA. These formulations were initially synthesized in a pilot environment and later synthesized on a semi-industrial scale at NaturePlast's facilities. The resulting materials were then sent to Novamont to produce prototypes.
These pellets represent biopolyester bioplastics, which are used in the manufacture of mulch and the preparation of organic waste collection bags.
