Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ViSS (Viable, safe and sustainable PHBV value chain for food packaging applications)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28
The ViSS project addresses the critical need for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastics, aiming to decarbonize society by establishing sustainble bio-based plastic value chains. While some bioplastics exist, many lack full recyclability and biodegradability, and face industrial deployment challenges.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), particularly PHBV (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)), are highlighted as highly promising due to their 100% biodegradability, synthesis by microorganisms from renewable carbon sources, non-toxicity, and suitability for food packaging. However, the widespread commercialization of PHBV is limited by several factors:
-High production costs: Stemming from expensive feedstocks (>40% of costs), the need for costly precursors for high 3HV content (desirable for flexibility), low yields, and complex downstream processing.
-Processability and property retention challenges: PHBV has a narrow processing window and slow nucleation rate, complicating conventional thermoplastic processing and potentially leading to a loss of mechanical properties.
-Limitations in achieving required flexibility: Commercial PHBV typically has low 3HV content (<2 mol%), resulting in insufficient flexibility for many applications, often requiring blending with other biopolyesters, which can compromise overall biodegradability.
-Insufficient framework conditions for adoption: A holistic approach integrating technical, safety, and sustainability dimensions is not yet fully developed.
The ViSS project is a groundbreaking initiative focused on establishing a safe and sustainable value chain for PHBV, specifically for high-performance food packaging solutions (flexible packaging, trays, mesh bags). It aims to valorize agrifood residues as cost-effective feedstocks for producing high-3HV PHBV (10-30% 3HV content) by addressing key technical challenges through a multifaceted strategy, Figure 1:
1.Ensuring Viable Operating & Investment Costs:
-Innovative residue combination as feedstocks: sugar residues (carbon source) and poultry residues (nitrogen/phosphorus sources) to reduce reliance on costly virgin raw materials.
-Extremophilic microorganism utilization capable of accumulating high-3HV PHBV. The resilience of extremophilic microorganisms negates the need for stringent sterile conditions and allows for less expensive plastic equipment, drastically cutting capital expenditure.
- Innovative green downstream processes.
2. Developing processable & stable PHBV formulations: Creates PHBV formulations using only non-hazardous, EFSA-authorized or GRAS additives, ensuring no compromise on the inherent biodegradability of PHBV.
3.Producing a range of PHBV compounds with flexible properties, while maintaining excellent biodegradability, bio-based nature, and non-toxicity.
4.Implementing an innovative Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach and fostering social readiness: ViSS develops tools and framework conditions to enhance social readiness and marketability of ViSS solutions, recognizing the fundamental role of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in assessing Social Readiness Levels (SRL) and influencing public perception and consumer behavior.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), particularly PHBV (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)), are highlighted as highly promising due to their 100% biodegradability, synthesis by microorganisms from renewable carbon sources, non-toxicity, and suitability for food packaging. However, the widespread commercialization of PHBV is limited by several factors:
-High production costs: Stemming from expensive feedstocks (>40% of costs), the need for costly precursors for high 3HV content (desirable for flexibility), low yields, and complex downstream processing.
-Processability and property retention challenges: PHBV has a narrow processing window and slow nucleation rate, complicating conventional thermoplastic processing and potentially leading to a loss of mechanical properties.
-Limitations in achieving required flexibility: Commercial PHBV typically has low 3HV content (<2 mol%), resulting in insufficient flexibility for many applications, often requiring blending with other biopolyesters, which can compromise overall biodegradability.
-Insufficient framework conditions for adoption: A holistic approach integrating technical, safety, and sustainability dimensions is not yet fully developed.
The ViSS project is a groundbreaking initiative focused on establishing a safe and sustainable value chain for PHBV, specifically for high-performance food packaging solutions (flexible packaging, trays, mesh bags). It aims to valorize agrifood residues as cost-effective feedstocks for producing high-3HV PHBV (10-30% 3HV content) by addressing key technical challenges through a multifaceted strategy, Figure 1:
1.Ensuring Viable Operating & Investment Costs:
-Innovative residue combination as feedstocks: sugar residues (carbon source) and poultry residues (nitrogen/phosphorus sources) to reduce reliance on costly virgin raw materials.
-Extremophilic microorganism utilization capable of accumulating high-3HV PHBV. The resilience of extremophilic microorganisms negates the need for stringent sterile conditions and allows for less expensive plastic equipment, drastically cutting capital expenditure.
- Innovative green downstream processes.
2. Developing processable & stable PHBV formulations: Creates PHBV formulations using only non-hazardous, EFSA-authorized or GRAS additives, ensuring no compromise on the inherent biodegradability of PHBV.
3.Producing a range of PHBV compounds with flexible properties, while maintaining excellent biodegradability, bio-based nature, and non-toxicity.
4.Implementing an innovative Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach and fostering social readiness: ViSS develops tools and framework conditions to enhance social readiness and marketability of ViSS solutions, recognizing the fundamental role of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in assessing Social Readiness Levels (SRL) and influencing public perception and consumer behavior.
During this initial reporting period, month 1 to month 18, significant progress has been achieved in ViSS.
Firstly, there has been a strong emphasis on the definitive establishment of requirements for various residues (sugar and poultry residues) to be utilized as feedstock in the production of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs, to be used as alternative to costly precursors) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV). Concurrently, a comprehensive waste management plan has been meticulously put into place. A major technical thrust has been the optimization of both upstream and downstream processes for PHBV production. Furthermore, the project has successfully initiated the engineering and construction phases of the groundbreaking PHBV demo plant. Crucially, all these multifaceted activities were meticulously developed and executed under the rigorous framework of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) methodology. This overarching approach inherently integrated the preliminary safety, environmental, economic, and social assessments, ensuring a holistic and responsible development pathway for the project.
Firstly, there has been a strong emphasis on the definitive establishment of requirements for various residues (sugar and poultry residues) to be utilized as feedstock in the production of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs, to be used as alternative to costly precursors) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV). Concurrently, a comprehensive waste management plan has been meticulously put into place. A major technical thrust has been the optimization of both upstream and downstream processes for PHBV production. Furthermore, the project has successfully initiated the engineering and construction phases of the groundbreaking PHBV demo plant. Crucially, all these multifaceted activities were meticulously developed and executed under the rigorous framework of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) methodology. This overarching approach inherently integrated the preliminary safety, environmental, economic, and social assessments, ensuring a holistic and responsible development pathway for the project.
The ViSS project is a high-impact initiative primarily targeting Destination 6: Climate-neutral Circular and Bioeconomy Transitions, establishing a pathway towards several key Expected Impacts and aligning with the SSbD approach.
-Improved PHBV functionality: Production of high-3HV (10-30%) PHBV for increased flexibility, with promising results using safe, sustainable additives.
-Enhanced environmental performance: Utilization of industrial organic residues (poultry and sugar wastes) as feedstocks, reintroduction of cell debris to minimize waste, and overall less hazardous substance use.
-Reduced toxicity and waste: PHBV production with less hazardous extraction methods (optimized 1,3-dioxolane use), non-hazardous additives, and "ZERO discharge/ZERO waste" processes through extensive reuse strategies.
-Product safety and social acceptance: Comprehensive safety control via SSbD methodology and active assessment of Social Readiness Levels (SRL) to boost acceptance of bio-based plastics.
To ensure future uptake, ViSS must:
-Intensify R&D and demonstration: Further optimize PHBV compounds and scale up processes from pilot to demo plant.
-Secure market access and finance: Develop robust business cases and circular business models to overcome current higher PHBV prices.
-Strengthen IPR: Define and protect Key Exploitable Results.
-Build regulatory support: Collaborate with SSH disciplines to set the base for future standardization and regulations for bio-based materials.
-Boost public and industrial acceptance: Through SRL assessments and awareness campaigns.
-Improve data for sustainability assessments: Integrate comprehensive data from all stages for accurate LCA and SSbD evaluations.
-Ensure full demo plant operation: Crucial for demonstrating industrial stability, reliability, and achieving target production volumes, alongside continued focus on biomass recovery and reuse.
-Improved PHBV functionality: Production of high-3HV (10-30%) PHBV for increased flexibility, with promising results using safe, sustainable additives.
-Enhanced environmental performance: Utilization of industrial organic residues (poultry and sugar wastes) as feedstocks, reintroduction of cell debris to minimize waste, and overall less hazardous substance use.
-Reduced toxicity and waste: PHBV production with less hazardous extraction methods (optimized 1,3-dioxolane use), non-hazardous additives, and "ZERO discharge/ZERO waste" processes through extensive reuse strategies.
-Product safety and social acceptance: Comprehensive safety control via SSbD methodology and active assessment of Social Readiness Levels (SRL) to boost acceptance of bio-based plastics.
To ensure future uptake, ViSS must:
-Intensify R&D and demonstration: Further optimize PHBV compounds and scale up processes from pilot to demo plant.
-Secure market access and finance: Develop robust business cases and circular business models to overcome current higher PHBV prices.
-Strengthen IPR: Define and protect Key Exploitable Results.
-Build regulatory support: Collaborate with SSH disciplines to set the base for future standardization and regulations for bio-based materials.
-Boost public and industrial acceptance: Through SRL assessments and awareness campaigns.
-Improve data for sustainability assessments: Integrate comprehensive data from all stages for accurate LCA and SSbD evaluations.
-Ensure full demo plant operation: Crucial for demonstrating industrial stability, reliability, and achieving target production volumes, alongside continued focus on biomass recovery and reuse.