ENZYMATIC RECYCLING OF WASTE COOKING OILS FOR THE PLASTIC INDUSTRY

Descrizione del progetto

Bioplastiche sostenibili: cambiare il modo in cui usiamo i rifiuti

Le bioplastiche sono prodotte da fonti rinnovabili di biomassa, come i rifiuti alimentari riciclati e i grassi vegetali. La sostenibilità di tali risorse alimentari, tuttavia, è in discussione. Seguendo un approccio basato sull’economia circolare e la bioeconomia, il progetto REWIND, finanziato dall’UE, intende valorizzare i prodotti di scarto, in particolare l’olio alimentare usato, attraverso metodi di biocatalisi per produrre bioplastiche sostenibili. Le bioplastiche prodotte nel progetto saranno testate per verificarne le proprietà termiche e meccaniche, nonché la loro sostenibilità e l’impatto sull’ambiente.

Obiettivo

The development of synthetic plastics has changed our world and currently several types of plastics are found in different applications. Most of the plastics comes from fossil resources and they are non-biodegradable materials causing a serious threat for the environment. Bioplastics are mostly produced from food resources which are not sustainable. For these reasons, the solution can be the use of waste. REWIND aims at the valorization of waste products through their enzymatic transformation following a circular economy approach. The production of monomers and polymers will be capitalized through the test of different recombinantly produced enzymes. The enzymatic transformations will be tested using single enzymes or a cocktail of biocatalysts (either free or immobilized) to identify the potential of the biocatalytic cascade. The use of enzymes, and their further engineering, will reduce the utilization of harsh reaction conditions and chemicals, such as organic solvents and metal catalysts. The produced bioplastics will be tested in terms of thermal and mechanical properties. In order to test their sustainability and impact on the environment, degradation tests in the presence of different environmental conditions (pH, Temperature and pressure) and with biological factors (enzymes and microorganisms) will be assayed. Sustainability assessment of the process and the products’ life will identify the steps that could be improved to reduce the impact. The researcher, who already possesses sound knowledge and skills in biocatalysis, will gain more knowledge in polymer chemistry and material characterization through the attendance of hand-on courses and collaborations with polymer chemists. Entrepreneurship and patent writing courses will increase the innovative mindset of the researcher for a better society. The results of the project will be disseminated both in the academic and non-academic sectors. The researcher will engage public communication.