CONVERSION OF DILUTED MIXED URBAN BIO-WASTES INTO SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS IN FLEXIBLE PURPLE PHOTOBIOREFINERIES

Project Information

DEEP PURPLE

Grant agreement ID: 837998

DOI

10.3030/837998

Project closed

EC signature date 26 April 2019

Start date 1 May 2019

End date 30 April 2024

Funded under

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

Total cost

€ 9 506 062,59

EU contribution

€ 6 983 049,99

Coordinated by

FCC AQUALIA SA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - DEEP PURPLE (CONVERSION OF DILUTED MIXED URBAN BIO-WASTES INTO SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS IN FLEXIBLE PURPLE PHOTOBIOREFINERIES)

Reporting period: 2022-05-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Nowadays, up to 138 million tonnes of bio-waste are annually generated in the EU. Almost 75% of this waste is either incinerated or landfilled, with a huge environmental and economic cost associated. On top of that, effective resource recovery is still hampered by heterogeneity of waste streams and ineffective separation at source. Biowaste and conventional wastewater still relies on energy-intensive technologies while dissipating valuable components to be potentially recovered to produce bio-based products and materials.

DEEP PURPLE project proposes an integrated treatment of urban bio waste in a novel multi-platform concept to implement a synergistic treatment of urban bio-waste streams (wastewater and the organic fraction of urban solid waste, OFMSW). The rationale of DEEP PURPLE project is based on the combination of optimized upstream and downstream technologies and an innovative wastewater treatment based on the use of purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) in open pond anaerobic photobioreactors as core technology. DEEP PURPLE aims to provide a sustainable supply of biomass and intermediates to be further transformed into bio-products such as biofertilizers, fine chemicals, self-healing building materials and bioplastics for packaging. The DEEP PURPLE photo-biorefinery concept has been upscaled at TRL 7 and validated at three demo sites in Spain.

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

DEEP PURPLE has successfully extracted valuable resources like cellulose, ectoine and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates) from domestic wastewater and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) to produce:
• Biofertilizers
• Mulching films
• Bags for organic waste collection
• Ectoine- based cosmetics
• Capsules for cosmetics packaging
• Self-healing construction material

DEEP PURPLE‘s innovation relies in a multiplatform approach centered in the use of Purple Phototrophic Bacteria (PPB), and validated in three demo sites in Spain:
- Demo site 1, wastewater treatment plant Linares (Jaén, Spain): this site hosts the world‘s first and largest PPB-based photobiorefinery, fully powered by solar energy and run by Aqualia. It features ANPHORA® technology, a disruptive system based on the the use of PPB in anaerobic photobioreactors for simultaneous wastewater treatment and production of PPB biomass for biofertilizers.
-Demo site 2, biomethanation plant Las Dehesas (Madrid, Spain): operated by FCC MA, this site is the first biorefinery dedicated to converting biogas into ectoine worldwide. It features a bioreactor for biogas bioconversion into ectoine and a thermal hydrolysis unit for the conversion of the OFMSW into PHA.
- Demo site 3, wastewater treatment plant Rincón de Caya (Badajoz, Spain): run by Aqualia, this site hosts the second photobiorefinery based on PPB, aiming at the production of nutrient-enriched PPB biomass.

DEEP PURPLE has allowed for the production of a wide range of bio-based products:
-Facial cream based on ectoine from biogas, with similar stability and packaging compatibility than the benchmark one.
- Mulching films and bags for OFMSW collection made of biopolyesters from 1,4 bio-BDO and PHA, with similar mechanical properties than the reference.
- Capsule packaging for cosmetic applications made of biopolyesters from 1,4 bio-BDO, PHA and cellulose nanofibers (CNF), with similar mechanical properties than the reference.
- Self-repairing composites (PHA and cellulose-based), which show increased strength regain compared to those without PHA and cellulose.
- Biofertilizers made of PPB biomass pellets. National and European requirements are reached for N, P, K, C: N+P+K > 7 % for fertilizer, N+P+K<7 % and organic matter >30% for amendment, metal traces content below thresholds, microbial strains below threshold. The enrichment of the biofertilizers with N and P through PPB biomass improves the mineral availability for the crops and the micro-organisms present in the soil. PPB biomass can partially replace other sources of N fertilization with equal yield performance.

Regarding the exploitation and dissemination of DEEP PURPLE results:
-11 scientific papers published, and 2 more are under review
-2 standardization documents published on CENCENELEC (the European standardisation body):
CWA 17897-1:2022 Extraction, production and purification of added value products from urban wastes. Part 1 Production and purification of ectoine obtained from biogas
CWA 17897-2: 2023 Extraction, production and purification of added value products from urban wastes. Part 2: Extraction and purification of PHA biopolymers

-3 patents filed
“Anaerobic photobioreactor and method for biomass cultivation” + trademark Anphora®
“Extraction of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from biomass derived from bacterial fermentation”.
“Process of decontamination of recovered cellulosic waste stream for its subsequent transformation into fermentable sugars”.

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)

DEEP PURPLE has promoted 4 new cooperation among bio-waste management companies and companies in the field of bioplastics, construction and build environment, fertilizers, and personal care & cosmetics sectors within the consortium according to the project exploitation strategy.

DEEP PURPLE has developed 4 new bio-based value chains that involve the development of industrial symbiosis models among municipal waste managers and end users from three different sectors.

DEEP PURPLE has developed 3 new bio-based building blocks based on biomass: ectoine from biogas, 1,4 bio-BDO obtained from cellulose recovered from wastewater, and cellulose recovered from wastewater.

DEEP PURPLE has developed 4 new bio-based materials: PPB biomass, PHA from PPB biomass, biopolyesters based on 1,4 bio-BDO, bioplastics/cellulose nanofibrils composites and cellulose nanofibrils.

Within DEEP PURPLE, the 2 first demo PPB-based photobiorefineries worldwide have been constructed (Demo Site 1&3).

The largest demo agronomic trials with PPB-based biofertilizers have been performed.

The first demo bioreactor worldwide for biogas bioconversion into ectoine has been implemented (Demo Site 2).

Regarding dissemination and communication:
5463 (7000) visitors to the website, 34 (NEW) references to the project on other websites, 150 (NEW) multimedia downloads (website), 714 (500) followers on social media channels, 355 (400) posts on Facebook, 13 (300) posts on LinkedIn, 151 (300) posts on X, 2000 leaflets promotional material distributed, 225 (200) recipients of the project's newsletter, 7 (8) project's newsletters, 1000 project video views in YouTube, 28 articles for digital and printed news media, 11 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, 6 bio-based products workshops and 12 conference presentations.

Final Workshop celebrated within the IWA Eco-STP Conference in Girona (SPAIN), with more than 100 attendees.

The Las Dehesas biomethanization plant (Demo Site 2 - Madrid) was visited by more than 2,660 people within the framework of the environmental awareness activities of citizens (Environmental Education Program of the Madrid City Council).

Regarding the environmental impact, with the DEEP PURPLE technologies, we have achieved a recycle and reuse efficiency of 61.5% of the primary sludge and 78.5% of the secondary sludge. We also have demonstrated a reduction of the amount of landfilled organic waste by 76% and 70% compared to the current state-of-the-art solutions.

DEEP PURPLE synopsis