Descrizione del progetto
Piume di pollame come fonte di materie prime biocompatibili per la bioeconomia
Il settore agricolo europeo genera circa 3,6 milioni di tonnellate di piume ogni anno. Circa il 25 % di esse vengono raccolte separatamente e destinate alla produzione di alimenti per animali o fertilizzanti, mentre il resto viene smaltito in discarica, incenerito o raccolto insieme ad altri sottoprodotti dell’industria avicola. Quasi il 90 % delle piume è composto da cheratina, una proteina di grande valore che può rappresentare una fonte di bioplastica biodegradabile per l’agricoltura. Il progetto UNLOCK, finanziato dall’UE, progetterà e dimostrerà catene del valore sostenibili dal punto di vista ambientale ed economico in grado di generare bioprodotti innovativi per applicazioni agricole, tra cui vassoi per la germinazione, geotessili, film per pacciamatura e schiume per agricoltura idroponica. Le prestazioni dei materiali a base di cheratina supereranno quelle delle controparti di origine fossile, poiché forniranno funzionalità aggiuntive e vantaggi ambientali al termine della loro vita utile grazie alla biodegradabilità controllata, all’arricchimento del suolo con azoto e all’azzeramento dei rifiuti.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
- 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
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- 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)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
IA - Innovation actionCoordinatore
20014 San Sebastian
Spagna