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.
