A feasibility study, to investigate and verify the commercial and industrial viability of a wastewater processing solution to generate bioplastics from agri-food and municipal wastewater sources.

Project Information

EggPlant

Grant agreement ID: 718097

DOI 10.3030/718097

Project closed

EC signature date 29 February 2016

Start date 1 February 2016

End date 31 May 2016

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost € 71 429,00

EU contribution € 50 000,00

Coordinated by

EGGPLANT SOCIETA A RESPONSABILITA LIMITATA
Italy

Objective

Currently, the bioplastics industry is restricted by the high cost of PHA and PHB bioplastics, despite the global capacity for their production outstripping commonly-used hydrocarbon-based thermoplastics and alternative bioplastic solutions; contemporary bioplastics that can compete with hydrocarbon thermoplastics are derived from crops (primarily using starch compounds), creating a conflict between using crops for food or as an industrial raw material, and increasing the cost of food. Furthermore, wastewater presents itself as a constant burden for industry, particularly wastewater containing nutrients that can potentially lead to a high biological oxygen demand (BOD) which damages aquatic ecosystems. The Eggplant is an innovative two-phase water treatment procedure that filters industrial wastewater and applies a three-stage post-filtration process. Through this process, each Eggplant uses wastewater as a raw material for the production of bioplastics using a commercial bacterial culture. Critically, the water at the end of the process is purified and safe to be used as drinking water or for release into watercourses. The primary value of Eggplant is the reduction of waste from agri-food industrial wastewater from twofold to zero – filtration removes the majority of pollutants and fermentation removes organic contaminants. The resulting concentrate is then processed into PHA and PHB bioplastics. Moreover, an Eggplant, through the use of concentrated substrate can generate 3-4 times as much bioplastic from an equivalent volume of wastewater.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › water treatment processes › drinking water treatment processes
• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › water treatment processes › wastewater treatment processes
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › hydrology › limnology
• engineering and technology › industrial biotechnology › biomaterials › bioplastics › polyhydroxyalkanoates
• engineering and technology › industrial biotechnology › bioprocessing technologies › fermentation

Programme(s)

• H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
• H2020-EU.2.3.1. - Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument

Topic(s)

• SFS-08-2015-1 - Resource-efficient eco-innovative food production and processing

Call for proposal

H2020-SMEInst-2014-2015

See other projects for this call

Sub call

H2020-SMEINST-1-2015

Funding Scheme

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

Coordinator

EGGPLANT SOCIETA A RESPONSABILITA LIMITATA

• Net EU contribution: € 50 000,00
• Address: VIA DON MINZONI 27 ; 70044 POLIGNANO A MARE (BA) ; Italy
• SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes:
  Region
  Sud › Puglia › Bari
• Region: Sud › Puglia › Bari
• Activity type: Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
• Total cost: € 71 429,00