Project description
‘Spending’ Brewers’ spent grain more wisely
Brewers’ spent grain makes up most of the by-products in the brewing industry, with the majority being used as animal feed or sent to landfill. It is rich in fibre – particularly the biopolymers cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The EU-funded POLYMEER project aims to valorise brewers’ spent grain by creating a sustainable biobased value chain for bioplastic products using green processes with minimal waste. Three applications dominated by fossil fuel-derived plastics will be targeted. These are mulch films for agricultural use, textiles for the automotive industry, and packaging films for industry. The most promising lab-scale results will be upscaled with targeted market launch within three to five years of project completion.
Objective
POLYMEER is dedicated to play a part in establishing a new bio-based value chain for bioplastic products from sustainable sourcing through the effective exploitation of the potential of brewers’ spent grain (BSG) reuse. This entail the efficient conversion of wet BSG into versatile bioplastics tailored for three for three crucial application. These applications are characterized by technical demands that existing bioplastics struggle to meet or where conventional fossil-based plastics still dominate: 1) mulch films suitable for agricultural use, 2) textile for the automotive industry, and 3) tertiary packaging films for industrial purposes, that can be recycled and/or biodegraded in specific environments.
The project is a holistic endeavour aimed to achieve this goal. It involves the entire production process, starting with BSG fractionation into key biopolymers, primarily cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. These valuable components are then transformed into specific polymers and copolymers exploiting green, waste-minimised processes. Finally, through blending, formulation and processing we will create cutting-edge bioplastics suitable for the designated fields. The most promising results from our lab-scale production will undergo upscaling to demonstrate economic and technical feasibility, paving the way for market launch within 3-5 years post-project completion. Furthermore, we thoroughly evaluate these materials' properties, considering their environmental, social, and economic impacts during large-scale production. We ensure product safety and explore biodegradability potential and recycling processes throughout the production process.
In essence, POLYMEER is not just about bioplastics; it's about redefining sustainability in the bioplastics industry with tailor-made solutions derived from BSG.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture grains and oilseeds
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- engineering and technology materials engineering textiles
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials bioplastics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.6.6 - Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
06123 Perugia
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.