Descripción del proyecto
Plumas de aves de corral como fuente de materias primas biológicas para la bioeconomía
El sector avícola europeo genera unos 3,6 millones de toneladas de plumas al año. Cerca del 25 % se separa para convertirse en piensos para animales y fertilizantes, mientras que el resto se deposita en vertederos o se recoge con otros subproductos avícolas. Las plumas están compuestas por casi un 90 % de queratina, una proteína valiosa que puede ser una fuente de bioplásticos biodegradables para la agricultura. El proyecto UNLOCK, financiado con fondos europeos, diseñará y probará cadenas de valor económica y medioambientalmente sostenibles que puedan generar bioproductos innovadores para aplicaciones agrícolas, lo que incluye los cajones sembradores, los geotextiles, las películas plásticas y las espumas hidropónicas. Los materiales basados en queratina superarán a sus homólogos basados en combustibles fósiles al incluir funcionalidades y beneficios ambientales añadidos al final de su vida útil mediante biodegradabilidad controlada, por lo que enriquecerán el suelo con nitrógeno y no generarán residuos.
Objetivo
Only in Europe 3,6 million tonnes of feathers are generated per year as waste of the poultry sector. Around 25% is used for animal feed or fertilisers while the rest is disposed in landfills or incinerated. Feathers contain nearly 90% of keratin, a valuable protein which can source for biodegradable materials, such as bioplastics for agriculture. However, to unlock the full potential of feathers as raw material for functional molecules, there are many technical, logistic and market hurdles to solve in the supply chain for the takeoff of profitable value chains and for the easy market uptake of keratin-based products. UNLOCK will design and demonstrate economically & environmentally sustainable value chains led by the primary sector, which will generate innovative bio-based functional products for agricultural applications: forest/seed trays, nonwoven geotextiles, mulch films and hydroponic foams. Keratin-based materials will outperform their fossil-based counter parts by providing additional functionalities during the product life span and environmental benefits at the end-of-life (controlled biodegradability, enrichment of organic nitrogen to soil and zero waste generation). UNLOCK will create 4 new bio-based value chains, 4 new agricultural consumer goods and at least 3 cross sector interconnections among the primary sector (poultry sector), the bioplastics industry and the agricultural sector, opening up new innovation-led market and job opportunities in the EU bioeconomy. UNLOCK conversion technologies will evolve from TRL5 to 7, demonstrating the full potential of keratin for circular bio-based plastics, through a multidisciplinary consortium of 15 partners (8 SMEs), supported by a strong stakeholder board. UNLOCK will enable the setup of 2 first-of-its-kind commercial biorefineries after the end of the project. The co-creation and replication will be reinforced through a specific regional cluster approach to multiply the impacts during and after the project.
Ámbito científico
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsbioeconomy
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processes
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplastics
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandryanimal feed
Palabras clave
Programa(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.2.1.4. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology
- H2020-EU.3.2.6. - Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI-JTI)
Régimen de financiación
IA - Innovation actionCoordinador
20014 San Sebastian
España