POLYMEER

Brewers spent grain as main by-product for development of novel, high-performance bio-based polymers, polymer blends and co-polymers.

The goal of POLYMEER is to develop new biobased polymers, co-polymers and polymer blends based on BSG exploiting green, waste-minimised processes, thus diversifying the array of innovative material solutions capable of replacing traditional plastics. POLYMEER focuses on producing high added value materials intended for application sectors where bioplastics fail to meet the necessary technical requirements or where traditional fossil-based plastics are still widely used.

The materials will undergo precise chemical design to meet a specific set of properties essential for three demanding applications:

1. Agriculture sector, where resistance to UV degradation, barrier properties, and biodegradability in soil are required;
2. Packaging used for the safe transportation and handling of products (namely tertiary packaging), where specific properties of durability, toughness, stretchability, are needed;
3. Textile for the automotive industry, which demands flame retardancy and antimicrobicity, UV resistance, hydrophobic and oleophobic resistance.

To achieve this objective, our strategies will prioritise the utilisation of eco-friendly processes, the selection of polymers with minimal environmental life cycle impact, and the minimisation of production costs. Additionally, POLYMEER will evaluate the versatility of the target materials in terms of processability, a crucial factor that must meet market entry requirements. Furthermore, the new polymers developed within POLYMEER will be engineered to possess intrinsic recyclability and/or biodegradability.

POLYMEER will focus on renewable lactone-based polyesters, particularly polylactones and lactone-based polyester-co-polymers comprising polyesters units and phosphate units that can be used alone or as blends, either on their own or in combination with other interesting feedstocks like thermoplastic starch, PLA, bio-polybutylene succinate (bio-PBS), PHA.

ACTIVITIES of the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant

Scale-up and validation of new fractionation strategies for Brewer’s Spent Grains into their protein, fibre and lignin fractions.

PARTNERS

• University of Perugia, IT (Coordinator)
• University of Rome “La Sapienza”, IT
• Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, BE
• Next Technology Tecnotessile, IT
• LOMARTOV, ES
• Zabala Innovation, BE
• AIMPLAS, ES
• Normec OWS, BE
• BIO-MI Sustainable Solutions, HR
• University of Twente, NL
• Birra Peroni, IT
• Borgstena Textile Portugal,  PT
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Ang, DE
• Investornet-GATE2GROWTH, DK

SUPPORTED by

The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members.  

Disclaimer Art 17.3. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CBE JU. Neither the European Union, nor CBE JU can be held responsible for them.