Objective
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), naturally produced polyesters, are gaining attention in the biodegradable polymer market due to their high biodegradability and versatility. They display sufficient functional properties to replace some of the 250 MTs of plastics used worldwide today, especially in the substitution of PET, which is widely used in soft drink bottles to electronics casing. A key challenge is in producing PHAs that are cost and performance competitive with conventional fossil-based polymers. Recent research has discovered that PHA polymers are naturally produced by some bacteria within the bacterial cell and can be extracted or processed for use in many applications-packaging, moulded goods, adhesives, films, etc. Work has been underway to determine if they can be grown in genetically modified plants. Despite positive results, many publications and patents on eco-compatible packaging materials, the production of biopolymers from natural sources has been limited, mainly due to difficulties in processing of natural materials, incompatibility at the interface natural fillers-polymeric matrices, poor mechanical properties, possible toxicity due to natural material degradation and moisture sensitivity, high raw material cost, etc. This project will build on promising preliminary research results into the growth of genetically modified cyanobacteria in wastewaters to produce PHAs. Cyanobacteria are a group of oxygen-evolving photosynthetic bacteria with short generation time, and are the sole prokaryotes that accumulate PHA by oxygenic photosynthesis, having potential for PHA cultivation in wastewaters. Olive oil wastewater will be recovered and reused to obtain PHA biopolymers for use as advanced packaging material. A valorisation of the waste materials will be obtained for using the leftover biomass (from biopolymer production) for biodiesel production and for the extraction of chemicals and natural fillers for Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-based composites.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technology materials engineering composites
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials bioplastics polyhydroxyalkanoates
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials biofuels
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-NMP-2011-SMALL-5
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
08940 CORNELLA DE LLOBREGAT
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.