new biotechnological approaches for biodegrading …€¦ · this project is supported by the...

This project is supported by the European Commision under the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology theme for the 7° Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development

New BIOtechnologiCaL approaches for biodegrading and promoting the environmEntal biotrAnsformation

of syNthetic polymeric materials (BIOCLEAN)

Grant Agreement Number 312100

Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna (UNIBO)

Fabio Fava

Topic addressed


The Project addressed the 2011 call topic : KBBE 2012.3.5-02: Biotechnological solutions for the degradation of synthetic polymeric materials (The Ocean of Tomorrow) (SME targeted collaborative project)

Overall cost: € 3.946.235,37; EU contribution: € 2.995.988,00 27% of the EU contribution is for SMEs

Project Partners


Partic. No. Participant organisation name Short name

Type Country

1 ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA UniBO RTD IT 2 FACHHOCHSCHULE NORDWESTSCHWEIZ FHNW RTD CH 3 TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CRETE TUC RTD GR 4 HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUER UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBHUFZ UFZ RTD DE 5 MADEP S.A. MADEP SME CH 6 INTERNATIONALES HOCHSCHULINSTITUT ZITTAU IHIZ RTD DE 7 OSTRAVSKA UNIVERZITA V OSTRAVE OU RTD CZ 8 CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS RTD FR

9 CENTRUM MATERIALOW POLIMEROWYCH IWEGLOWYCH POLSKA AKADEMIA NAUK*CMPIW PAN

PLIPOC RTD PL

10 ORGANIC WASTE SYSTEMS NV OWS SME BE 11 FELSILAB S.R.L FELS SME IT 12 BIOBASIC ENVIRONNEMENT SARL BBE SME FR 13 TECHNIKI PROSTASIAS PERIVALLONTOS ANONYMI ETAIREIA EPE SME GR 14 NANJING UNIVERSITY NJU RTD CN

15 DIADIMOTIKI EPICHEIRISI DIACHEIRISIS STEREON APOVLITON ANONYMI ETAIREIA OTA

DEDISA RTD GR

16 MARITIM MILJØ-BEREDSKAP AS MMB SME NO 17 PLASTICSEUROPE PLASTEU RTD BE 18 SIMA-TEC GMBH SIMA SME DE 19 HAVFORSKNINGSINSTITUTTET IMR RTD NO

Topic/Project justification (a)


The worldwide production polymeric materials obtained from fossil resources is about 230 mil ton/y (2011). EU contributed for ¼ to such a production but it produces 75% of the most prominent petroleum-based plastics, i.e., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS). Such plastics are employed in several major industrial sectors (packaging, building/construction, automotive, electric/electronic equipments) for their excellent mechanical properties, low cost, light weight, high energy effectiveness, durability and chemical and biological inertness.

In EU, the post consumer waste is ̴24 mil ton/y: ̴24% is recycled, ̴30% incinerated (with energy recovery) and ̴46% disposed of in landfills, where partially undergoes photo oxidation/degradation, producing small fragments, which, together with plasticizers/plastics additives, enter the marine environment and thus the food chain, where exert toxic effects.

Topic/Project justification (b)

http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2012/04/MicroplasticTweezerPlone.jpg


Strategies addressed to increase recycling, incineration and the safe landfill disposal of such materials have been put in practice in several EU Countries. However, recycling requires prior tailored and expensive sorting, and the recycled products normally have inferior long-term properties, with limited market applications. Incineration produces emissions and ash wastes. Thus, large volumes of plastic wastes ended up in landfills in all major EU Countries.

Topic/Project justification (c)

Biobased and biodegradable plastics can represent an interesting alternative to synthetic plastics in specific applications but the sector is still in its infancy (<0.8% of total plastics produced in Europe).

Thus, innovative eco-efficient solutions for degrading/detoxifying (hopefully also valorising) fossil plastics currently sent to/accumulated in landfills, intensifying the biodegradation of those entering composting/anaerobic digestion facilities and occurring in aquatic environments are sought. This to confine/mitigate the environmental impact associated with such waste thus permitting the sector gradual transition towards market consisting of fully recyclable and biobased/biodegradable products.


Environmental biotechnology can offer promising tools/strategies in this field.

However, a little is known about the actual biodegradability of petroleum-deriving polymers/plastics; the few info available are on the biodegradable synthetic polymers (i.e.,poly(vinyl alcohol), aliphatic polyesters, polycaprolactone, and polyamides, etc.), and, among the most recalcitrant plastics, on PE plastics. Further, PE biodegradation was observed only in defined soil and compost systems or in the presence of pure cultures of common commercially available bacterial and fungal strains. No successful examples of PE ex-situ bioremediation processes have been reported so far.

Topic/Project justification (d)

In addition, despite the evidence that some physical and chemical pre-treatments improve PE biodegradability, no attempts to develop an integrated physical-chemical and biological PE degradation process have been made.

Importantly, almost nothing is known about biodegradation/detoxification of the other major oil-deriving polymers/plastics, i.e., PP, PS and PVC.


BIOCLEAN aims at developing innovative, eco-efficient pilot-scale and/or field validated biotechnological solutions for degrading (and valorizing) plastic wastes in landfills, terrestrial and aquatic environments. Novel, robust naturally-occurring plastic-degrading mixed and pure cultures will be obtained from wasted plastics and culture collections and then exploited in: • Integrated physical/chemical-biotechnological processes (i.e., biotech

processes fed with plastics pretreated with chemical/physical agents) for the extensive biodegradation/detoxification or the valorization (i.e., fragmentation towards useful chemicals) of PE, PP, PS and PVC plastics;

• tailored bio-augmentation procedures for enhancing native biodegradation of plastic wastes and debris in composting and waste treating facilities and in marine environments.

Project objectives


RTD Approach (a)

n

PE, PP, PS AND PVC POLYMERS, PLASTICS, PLASTIC WASTES

γ, UV RADIATION

BIOREACTOR

O3OZONATION

THERMAL TREATMENT

= BUILDING BLOCKS FOR NEW GREEN MATERIALS

MICROORGANISMS

PRODUCTS WITH USEFUL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

CO2 + H2O

MARINE/TERRESTRIAL LANDFILLS AND

WASTE TREATMENT FACILITIES

PLASTIC MINERALIZATION

ENZYMES

BIOAUGMENTATION PROTOCOLS

ON SITE & IN SITU BIOAUGMENTATION

WP 3– Characterization of the most promising polymer/plastic degrading microorganisms and enzymes, identification of final

products and of their possible valorization routes

WP 6– Development of bioaugmentation strategies for marine water and

composting facilities

WP 5– Development of pilot-scale biotechnological processes for the

bioremediation or valorisation of plastics

WP 4– Development of sustainable pre-treatments for

improving plastic biodegradability

WP 7– Demonstration of the effectiveness of bioaugmentation

protocols in Aegean sea and in a full-scale composting facility

Biodegradation pathways

Design of biodegradation & valorization

processes

Identification /assessment

most promising biodeg. cultures

WP 8– Environmental and economic evaluation of developed processes and

strategies

WP 2– Isolation and selection of robust polymer degrading microorganisms and enzymes

WP 10 – Dissem

ination, exploitation and know

ledge transfer Landfills Seas Composting Digestors Sites EU culture collections

WP

1 –

Man

agem

ent a

nd c

oord

inat

ion

WP 9 - Developm

ent of policy tools in support of the Marine

Strategy Framew

ork Directive w

ith respect to plastics


RTD Approach (b)


Temporal distribution of activities BIOCLEAN Duration/Milestones/Deliverables

1st year 2nd year 3rd year

Work package descriptions and Tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

WP1: Management and coordination D D D

WP2: Isolation and selection of robust polymer degrading microorganisms and enzymes

D D D

WP3: Characterization of the most promising polymer/plastic degrading microorganisms and enzymes, identification of final products and of their possible valorization routes

D D D

WP4: Development of sustainable pre-treatments for improving plastic biodegradability

D

WP5: Development of pilot-scale biotechnological processes for the bioremediation or valorisation of plastics

D D

WP6: Development of bioaugmentation strategies for marine water and composting facilities

D

WP7: Demonstration of the effectiveness of bioaugmentation protocols in Aegean seawater and in a full-scale composting facility

D

WP8: Environmental and economic evaluation of developed processes and strategies

D

WP9: Development of policy tools in support of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive with respect to plastics

D

WP10: Dissemination, exploitation and knowledge transfer D D D D D D D

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Geographic distribution of activities


IMR

Project Management


Dissemination & Exploitation Team. PLASTEU, FHNW, UFZ, IHIZ, OU, CNRS, OWS, TUC ,PLIPOC

Stakeholders Advisory Board

Stakeholders Advisory Board (SAB)


No. ORGANISATION/INSTITUTION KEYPERSON COUNTRY 1 National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center Dr. Juying Wang China

2 Key Lab. of pollution Control and Resource Reuse Dr. Youcai Zhao China 3 Cefas-The Centre for Environment, Fisheries &

Aquaculture Science Dr. Peter John Kershaw United Kingdom

4 Amt für Umwelt und Energie Mr. Martin Gruber-Gschwind Switzerland 5 Coastal & Marine (EUCC) , NL Dr. Alan Pickaver The Netherland 6 Weizmann Institute of Science Prof. Emeritus Jonathan Gressel Israel 7 Universidade do Minho Prof. Dr. Nelson Lima Portugal 8 Institute of Environmental Technologies. VŠB –

Technical University of Ostrava Prof. Ing. Karel Obroučka Czech Republic

9 DDS Verko, Dendermonde Willy Van Loey Belgium 10 Intercommunale Vereniging Hooge Maey Dr. Jan Dockx Belgium 11 IGEAN milieu & veiligheid Dr. Jos Van Hoydonk Belgium 12 Styron Mr. Bert Heuvelsland The Netherlands 13 Novamont Dr. Giulia Gregori Italy 14 Versalis (ENI) Dr. Gianni Girotti Italy

15 VEOLIA Environnement Mr. Hervé Suty France 16 Consorzio Italiano Compostatori (CIC) Dr. Massimo Centemero Italy 17 Italian Ministry for Industry Dr. Andrea Bianchi Italy

18 European Polymer Federation (EPF) Prof. Giancarlo Galli Italy/ Slovenia 19 European Technology Platform (ETP-Suschem) Dr. Jer Spork Germany 20 SusChem Česká Republika Mr. Ladislav Novák Czech Republic

21 SusChem Italy Prof. Luigi Busetto Italy


Expected outcomes (a) •A collection of well characterized novel and known robust bacteria, fungi and enzymes able to degrade/transform PE, PP, PS and PVC polymers and plastics;

•Biological routes for the valorisation (via tailored fragmentation towards useful products) of PE, PP, PS and PVC polymers and plastics; •New, pilot scale-validated ecoefficient integrated chemical/physical-biological processes for the degradation/detoxification (hopefully also the valorization) of wasted PE, PP, PS and PVC polymers and plastics;

•New pilot- and field-scale validated biotechnological (bioaugmentation) strategies for intensifying the plastic waste biodegradation in composting/anaerobic waste treatment facilities and in marine environments;

•Site-specific measures for mitigating plastic pollution and improving the environmental status of Aegean Sea.


These new/innovative processes and solutions would remarkably contribute to the eco-efficient and safe disposal of plastic wastes sent to/accumulated in landfills and the mineralization of those entering terrestrial waste treating facilities and aquatic environments. This in turn would contribute to: • the improvement of the environmental status of the aquatic environments

with regard to marine litter under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and

• mitigate the current environmental impact of the sector thus allowing its gradual transition towards the scenario in which the market will mainly consist of fully recyclable and biobased/biodegradable products.

Expected outcomes (a)

BIOCLEAN: a quite challenging RTD project and an unique opportunity to test the actual potential of

biotech tools and strategies in the field of the sustainable disposal of plastic waste.

Thank you

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new biotechnological approaches for biodegrading …€¦ · this project is supported by the...

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