Bioeconomy

As healthy and tasty as mushrooms might be, they are good for much more than just the dinner plate. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT has now teamed up with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP to investigate the use of fungus-based materials for the fabrication of eco-friendly sound absorbers.

The results of the European Bioplastics’ (EUBP) annual market data update confirm the continued dynamic growth of the global bioplastics industry. “Our industry has successfully weathered the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. And the outlook for bioplastics is also promising as the global market is predicted to grow by 36 percent over the next 5 years”, says François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics.

Development of biogenic packaging - 16/11/2020

Sustainable packaging - the devil is in the detail

Modern packaging often boils down to a tick list of biogenic origin and/or biodegradability. But comprehensive sustainable packaging concepts need more than just that. Perishable foods, for example, require special barrier properties. The Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences is researching packaging concepts for their sustainability.

Dossier - 09/11/2020

Packaging of the future

What will the packaging of the future look like, and what will be required of it? Can packaging be biobased, recyclable, sustainable and economic? In Baden-Württemberg, there are various approaches to developing packaging with the above properties from various sources including agricultural residual and side streams as well as municipal waste.

EU research project with the participation of the University of Hohenheim searches for new, sustainable food additives and packaging materials from seaweeds and seagrasses.

Products made from bio-based plastics must undergo the same testing procedures as conventional plastic products to access the market of the European Union (EU). Thereby a health risk for consumers is excluded. Plastics intended to be certified as biodegradable or compostable must undergo additional tests.

Germany generates around 38 kilograms of plastic waste per capita each year. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV are now working to establish a holistic concept for the sustainable use of biologically degradable packaging materials in the cosmetics industry. The project is focusing on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).

The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently published its new report “Biodegradable and compostable plastics – challenges and opportunities”. The report highlights many positive aspects of biodegradable and compostable plastics. Unfortunately, its interpretation in several media outlets focused exclusively on the few critical assumptions the report makes regarding consumer perception.

Packaging protects products during transport and storage. In order to develop sustainable packaging and conserve resources, Henkel developed an evaluation tool that quickly and reliably checks plastic packaging for recyclability. The tool has now been expanded to include common materials, so that packaging made of paper/cardboard, glass, aluminum and tinplate can be analyzed in addition to plastic. Fraunhofer UMSICHT tested the software tool.

Since the beginning of 2019, the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT has been working on a comprehensive characterization and humantoxicological assessment of nanocellulose along its life cycle in the BMBF-funded joint project "NanoCELL" under the coordination of Postnova Analytics GmbH, in order to achieve a reliable risk assessment and safe use in environmentally friendly packaging materials.

A report recently published by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) shows that with only 16% of the biowaste potential being used, the biowaste management still remains an untapped potential for the European Union to further transition to a Circular Economy. Both organizations jointly produced a first-of-its-kind report estimating the current and future availability of bio-waste in the EU27.

The Witzenhausen Institute and the University of Bayreuth conducted a very interesting study, analysing the compost of several German industrial composting facilities for possible plastic content deriving from compostable biowaste bags. The field study concluded that compostable bags, certified according to the European standard EN 13432, do not pose any challenges to the quality of the compost.

rezemo GmbH - 26/06/2020

Coffee capsules: wood instead of aluminium

In Germany alone, around three billion disposable coffee capsules made of aluminium and plastic are sold every year. This creates a gigantic waste problem, as only a small proportion of the capsules can be recycled. Fully compostable wooden coffee capsules might be a solution to this problem. The capsules have been developed by a start-up company called rezemo, which also has other biobased packaging solutions in the pipeline.

"European Bioplastics (EUBP) welcomes the new Circular Economy Action Plan (nCEAP). It’s an ambitious step forward to transform Europe into a circular economy”, says François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics. “As EUBP, we especially endorse the European Commission’s (EC) commitment to support the ‘sustainable and circular bio-based sector through the implementation of the Bioeconomy Action Plan’”

Polysecure GmbH - 16/01/2020

Recycling of the future – marked plastic as a circular product

Plastics are harmful to the climate and human health both during manufacture and combustion and they also clutter our planet with garbage. Recycling is therefore a key issue, but it is not efficient. Polysecure has developed a process for permanently marking individual plastics that enables them to be separated efficiently and returned to a circular economy. This would counteract the vast amount of (micro) plastics and reduce CO₂ emissions.

Producing valuable new products from waste materials - 07/01/2020

A vision: insect biorefineries as components of a sustainable bioeconomy

Eco-friendly and responsibly manufactured products are more in demand than ever before. Specific research is being carried out into materials and applications for a wide variety of uses. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB is working with Hermetia Baruth GmbH on the vision of an insect biofactory that uses waste materials to produce a wide range of products such as biosurfactants, animal feed or foils.

Status and future of plastics - 15/11/2019

Microplastics waste is a valuable resource, it is just in the wrong place

The negative image of plastic persists and is not getting any better in the face of the ongoing debate about microplastics which are basically everywhere. Plastic pollutes the environment. The globe is littered with huge quantities. We have to modify the production and utilisation of macroplastics as well as fundamentally rethink the way we dispose of them. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ mentality must become a thing of the past.

Article - 21/10/2019

Plant pots made of natural fibres – "bio", no ifs or buts

Plastic plant pots are not good for the environment; strictly speaking, they should not even be disposed of in recycling bins. Alternatives such as coconut fibre pots are compostable, but not pollutant-free and not "bio" at all. The Karlsruhe-based company Fiber Engineering has developed a truly ecofriendly way to grow plants: pots made of hemp or grass, which are preserved with biological components and decompose completely within a…

Article - 01/08/2019

Clean water thanks to microplastics

He swam the entire length of the River Rhine to draw attention to the contamination of rivers and oceans with plastic waste. After completing his mammoth swim, Prof. Dr. Andreas Fath decided to kill two birds with one stone and do something useful with microplastics. At the Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences campus in Villingen-Schwenningen, Fath is working on a filter system made of plastic waste that can be used to remove pollutants from…

In a research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for manufacturing engineering and automation (IPA) and the company Tecnaro and d dealt with orthoses and prostheses made of bio-based materials. You developed suitable organic polymer compounds, it produced prototypes and tested them.

Dossier - 15/04/2019

The alternative: “bioplastics”

Plastic waste takes years to decompose and pollutes the environment. Nevertheless, plastics are an indispensable part of everyday life. It is therefore all the more important to find a meaningful alternative that is sustainable, environmentally friendly and has better properties and more functionality than conventional plastics. In addition, such an alternative should not be dependent in any way on fossil resources.

Article - 12/03/2019

Biocarbon fibres made of lignin

Carbon fibre is increasingly found in airplanes, cars and wind turbines. Carbon fibre is still made from oil and relatively expensive. However, this is soon to change. Researchers from the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are working on the development of cost-effective carbon fibre made of lignin, a by-product of papermaking.

An alliance of global companies from the plastics and consumer goods value chain today launched a new organization to advance solutions to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, especially in the ocean.

Single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks or cotton buds, will be banned in the EU under plans adopted on Wednesday.

The European Parliament’s report on the European Strategy for Plastics adopted today by the plenary testifies to the increasing acknowledgement and endorsement of the value propositions of bioplastics. Rapporteur Mark Demesmaeker highlights the potential role of bio-based plastics and of biodegradable plastics in establishing a strong circular EU bioeconomy.