ECO sustainable multi FUNctional biobased COATings with enhanced performance and end of life options

Project Information

ECOFUNCO

Grant agreement ID: 837863

DOI

10.3030/837863

Project closed

EC signature date 26 April 2019

Start date 1 May 2019

End date 31 July 2022

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology

Total cost

€ 5 567 436,25

EU contribution

€ 4 613 778,25

Coordinated by

CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO NAZIONALE PER LA SCIENZA E TECNOLOGIA DEI MATERIALI
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECOFUNCO (ECO sustainable multi FUNctional biobased COATings with enhanced performance and end of life options)

Reporting period: 2020-11-01 to 2022-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Environmental and societal awareness on the importance of sustainability and of bio-economy, are generating sensibility for a sustainable development of consumables. Additionally there is a growing responsibility versus the value and resources wasted due to food loss. It is estimated that about one third of all the food globally produced is wasted every year, generating 1.3 billion tonnes of residues, this occurs throughout the whole food value chain from farmers to consumers. The European Strategy for Bioeconomy features actions for ensuring food security, managing natural resources, reducing dependence on non-renewable resources, mitigating and adapting to climate change, creating jobs and maintaining European competitiveness. ECOFUNCO aims to bring several benefits to the primary production including food loss reduction, natural resources preservation, fossil feedstock replacement, by-product valorisation and environmental impact reduction.
The objective of project ECOFUNCO is to select, extract-functionalise molecules (proteins, polysaccharides, cutin) from highly available, low valorised biomass such as tomato, legumes, sunflower etc for the development of new bio-based coating materials to be applied on two different substrates (cellulosic and plastic based), with improved performances compared to currently available products and at the same time with more sustainable end of life options. These has been used to manufacture the products (biobased coatings for cellulose and plastics) that in the second half of the project will be validated in their final applications. The performances of the final products have been validated and the overall environmental impact of the entire value chain were evaluated according to the LCA standard.
The biomass derived molecules addressed in the project such as proteins for gas barrier, chitosan-chitin for anti-microbial activity, and cutin for barrier to water, were successfully extracted-produced from agro-food biomass. The products developed in the project are in particular: mcl-PHA, antimicrobial-antioxidant coatings based on chitin nanofibrills, and/or chitosan, Microbial Cellulose for cellulose tissues (personal care), paper and cardboard (packaging for fresh products like pasta, tableware), woven and nonwoven (sanitary), plastic substrates (bio-polyesters) for active packaging. Cutin based formulations for coatings water repellent (paper cups, service paper etc.), water vapour barrier (packaging) and protective properties (non-food packaging). Protein- based barrier adhesive for multilayer food packaging (bio polyesters based), with sustainable end of life options (composting, recyclability).

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 6 months, ECOFUNCO performed a comprehensive inventory and preliminary assessment report on availability, geographical origin, seasonality, quality, safety and sustainability of the selected crops and biomass feedstock to be used in the project. At month 18, important intermediate results are the development and optimisation of different protein, chitin, cutin, active molecules extraction methods based on solvent extraction, MAE, UAE, SFE innovative processes. For each type of residue, the most efficient procedure was selected in terms of active molecules content and quality and further optimised. As well important achievements were gained for mcl-PHA and Microbial cellulose production.
At present, end of the project, materials for coatings based on proteins for gas barrier, cutin for water barrier and chitin for anti-microbial activity, have been developed on lab scale, and in some cases on pilot scale, trials of validation have been conducted positively. The overall environmental impact of the entire value chains addressed in the project has been evaluated by LCA analysis.
The processes and technologies that were applied and further developed in ECOFUNCO are innovative, high tech, promoting trained personnel for new job positions in biotechnology, in process monitoring and food, plastic and health-care sectors.
Main KER generated were identified and partner have expressed their specific interest for their exploitations, three patents were applied. These include molecules extraction from biomass, and functionalization, as well as biobased coatings production and application on cellulose and plastic substrates.
On dissemination and communication, the consortium partners have participated to conferences, events, the BBI Stakeholder Forum Projects Day. Dissemination to wider audience has been conducted in high schools and in universities courses.
Twelve scientific paper were published by partners in open access journals.

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)

ECOFUNCO support the European transition toward a biobased economy, by developing innovative generation of flexible and multipurpose biorefineries in which a number of innovative conversion technologies are applied in a cascading approach to obtain several high added value bioproducts. Ultrasound Assisted Extraction, Microwave-assisted extraction, Super critical Fluid Extraction Carbon Dioxide are complementary to source biocompounds in multiple ways: a) enhancing extraction yield and therefore cost effectiveness, b) providing the opportunity to use eco-friendly solvents (e.g. water) by improvement of their extraction performance, c) enhancing the extraction of heat sensitive components under conditions which would otherwise have low or unacceptable yields.
The use of biobased protein, cutin and chitin for coating, supported by process control such as inline monitoring, is innovative and meet industry 4.0 approach. Result achieved on laboratory scale are extremely positive and at the end of the project the achievement of relevant products near to be industrialised is envisaged.

The use of cellulose and bioplastics in packaging and health care is limited due to some disadvantages in the properties, among which the barrier to water vapour and oxygen are included, ECOFUNCO will enhance barrier properties while adding anti-microbial performances.

Main outcome of ECOFUNCO were :
i) Use of biobased resources derived from by-products of food and agro-industrial sector, and of bio-based functional molecules.
ii) Highly performing, economically and environmentally sustainable bio-based coating for plastic and cellulosic substrates
iii) Food packaging based on tray and films with different coating
iiii) tableware (paper plate and paper cup) and personal care cellulose-based prototypes (wipes), coated with ECOFUNCO formulated and validated at pilot level with the aforementioned materials.
v) coated tissue for health care sector

ECOFUNCO contributes to meet the increasing demand for bio-based, active, and biodegradable molecules and polymers to be used for polymer formulations and applications¸ introduce and validate bio-polymers and green additives in packaging, and health care applications¸ growing the bio-plastics and paper based products sectors and thus mitigating climate change.
ECOFUNCO will also accelerate the market uptake of these biorefineries products, and of biobased plastic, or cellulose packaging, as well as of the health care products, developing a tailored business model and engaging relevant stakeholder by an online stakeholder platform to access the facilities and test the resulting products.

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