Description du projet
Un biomatériau écologique à base de nanocellulose en passe d’être commercialisé
Cellugy, une jeune entreprise biotechnologique danoise, remplace les plastiques à usage unique par de la cellulose 100 % naturelle. Ce nouveau biomatériau peut remplacer le plastique dans plusieurs applications d’emballage et est totalement sans danger pour l’environnement. Il peut être utilisé en combinaison avec du papier, du carton et d’autres matériaux biosourcés et répond aux exigences de performance de l’industrie de l’emballage, tout en étant entièrement recyclable et biodégradable. Après avoir obtenu un financement pour le développement de ce nouveau biomatériau, Cellugy vise désormais, dans le cadre du projet EcoFLEXY financé par l’UE, à en augmenter la production, en se concentrant sur des stratégies d’optimisation technique, la mise en place d’une usine pilote et des activités pertinentes de pré-déploiement.
Objectif
Plastic pollution is a dramatic problem of our times. A large percentage of plastic production is destined to packaging, which is designed for single use but at the same time can stay in the environment for thousands of years. Efforts to replace conventional, oil-based plastics with more environmentally friendly materials have so far failed due to their reliance on food crops and end-of-life challenges. Cellugy has designed EcoFLEXY, a biomaterial able to replace plastics in several packaging applications, which is completely harmless to the environment. EcoFLEXY is produced by bacteria and yeast starting from sugar or agro-industrial waste, in low-energy conditions. Being made of nanocellulose, EcoFLEXY can be either recycled in the paperboard stream or home composted, whereas if leaking into the environment it safely biodegrades in a short time, leaving no toxic residues behind. EcoFLEXY production emit 94% less CO2 emissions compared to conventional plastics and at the same time enables a circular economy by making use of second-generation feedstocks. Cellugy will first sell EcoFLEXY to packaging companies and chemical companies serving them. It will start marketing Cellugy in Northern Europe where consumer and customer demand for sustainable products is highest. EcoFLEXY will be sold at a price competitive to that of bioplastics, leveraging on important collaborations within the chemical and packaging industry. To reach market launch, Cellugy will expand its production from the laboratory to a full industrial volume scale in a stepwise manner, with considerable interest from prospective investors in the biotech sector to follow product development. Cellugy’s team is well-rounded and led by award-winning entrepreneur Dr Isabel Alvarez Martos.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managemententrepreneurship
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplastics
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinateur
2860 Soborg
Danemark
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.