Novel biodegradable, REcyclable, BIO-based and safe plastic polymers with enhanced circuLar properties for food packaging and agricUltural applicaTIONs

Project Information

REBIOLUTION

Grant agreement ID: 101082040

DOI

10.3030/101082040

EC signature date 26 April 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 6 423 813,75

EU contribution

€ 4 858 619,64

Coordinated by

BASF SE
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REBIOLUTION (Novel biodegradable, REcyclable, BIO-based and safe plastic polymers with enhanced circuLar properties for food packaging and agricUltural applicaTIONs)

Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Plastic waste poses an important environmental problem in Europe and worldwide, especially from leakage to natural habitats. Of more than 29 Mt of plastic post-consumer waste collected in the EU in 2020, the average recycling rate of packaging waste was less than 40%. Packaging is the largest end-use market of plastic demand (40.5%). Multilayer packaging (e.g. paper/plastic composites), widely used in the food and beverage industry, applies mostly polyethylene (PE) film as plastic coating.
In the agriculture sector, plastics are used to enhance crop yield, save water and agrochemicals but bear the risk of being lost during operation. Agricultural plastics market represents 3.2% of the plastic demand and the 50% increase in global food supplies expected by 2050 will lead to a substantially higher demand of plastics for mulch films (today mainly made of PE).
REBIOLUTION aims to design and synthetize novel fully bio-based and biodegradable polyester blends based on 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and other bio-based monomers fit for specific product-market applications selected in this project for their widespread use and negative impact on the environment: (1) plastic coating for food packaging (e.g. for frozen/chilled food or ready meal trays) and (2) mulch films for agricultural applications.
Well-defined properties will be established by carefully tuning the polymer blends for each application in order to boost the sustainability performance (non-toxic substances used, reduced non-renewable energy consumption, recyclable and at the same time home compostable and biodegradable in soil and aquatic environments) and improved functionality while ensuring product and processes safety. REBIOLUTION is committed to remove barriers to market penetration by providing a drop-in bio-based polymer blend replacement that fosters a seamless transition for the downstream value-chain, avoiding additional investment in the processing industrial lines and extra-costs for consumers

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first reporting period, significant progress was made in several areas:
• Production of Key Monomers and Lab Scale Synthesis: The project successfully produced key monomers for the polyesters (FDCA) and synthesized polyesters at the lab scale. A selection of polyester recipes for scale-up was made based on a defined set of criteria.
• Biodegradation Studies: Initial biodegradation studies with lab-scale materials were started, and method development and benchmarking for the new materials were prepared using existing biodegradable polymers and blends.
• Mechanical and Functional Properties: Reference materials were used to optimize processes in paper coating and subsequent conversion steps. These results will serve as benchmarks for the novel materials.
• End-of-Life Options: Long-term biodegradability studies were initiated with lab-scale polyesters, and method development in biodegradation was prepared using suitable reference materials.
• Competitiveness in Cost and Environmental Performance: Methodology was prepared, and initial data was provided to demonstrate the competitiveness of the novel blends.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

While aromatic polyesters based of FDCA like PEF are at the brink of commercialization, aliphatic-aromatic polyesters are still in an early developmental stage. In the project, polyesters were synthesized and broadly characterized regarding application relevant material properties. Using DoE, a targeted material selection has taken place and polyester recipes which are expected to fulfill the requirements have been identified. Using reference systems, the methods relevant to assess environmental degradability have been developed further.

ReBIOlution - Graphical Abstract and main partners' role