Descripción del proyecto
Una nueva solución para la contaminación por plásticos
La transición de la Unión Europea hacia una economía circular y más sostenible depende de las medidas que se adopten para minimizar la generación de residuos. En esa transición, resulta crucial una economía de plásticos más circular. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos RECOVER tiene como objetivo abordar la acumulación de plásticos de envases y agrícolas no reciclables, así como la contaminación por microplásticos. Aplicará soluciones biotecnológicas, incluida una combinación de microorganismos, nuevas enzimas, lombrices e insectos para degradar los plásticos y transformarlos en productos con valor añadido. Entre sus ambiciosos objetivos, RECOVER se propone desarrollar procesos para la biorremediación de la contaminación por plásticos en suelos y compost, y la biotransformación de plásticos convencionales en biofertilizantes y plásticos biodegradables para envases alimentarios y agrícolas. De este modo, contribuirá a cerrar el círculo en ambos sectores productivos, al tiempo que afronta los desafíos medioambientales actuales.
Objetivo
RECOVER is a disruptive RIA proposal built upon the actual needs to solve the contamination of agro-fields with non-biodegradable agro-plastics as well as to improve municipal waste handling by decreasing drastically the packaging fraction going to unsustainable waste management routes.
We intend to reach our ambitious objectives applying biotech solutions that will include symbiotic bioprocesses between previously reported high powered microorganisms through microbiotic systems vectored by several insect species. Indeed, one of the main innovations in our proposal is the combination of endogenous and exogenous microorganisms and their inoculation on insects. This will allow achieving higher levels of biodegradation and direct conversion (at the same time) of agri-food plastic wastes in insect by-products such as chitin, that can be converted in chitosan (high value as bioplastics raw materials and other interesting industrial applications due to anti-microbial activity) that will be used in active packaging, enhanced mulching films and biofertilizers applications.
RECOVER will help providing novel biotechnological solutions applying microorganisms, enzymes and insects to degrade conventional plastic packaging and agricultural films waste streams but also result in new feedstocks for the bio-based industries. The process will be optimized and performed either ex-situ in composting reactors (preferred route for non-recyclable plastics from municipal solid waste or for agricultural films that can be collected easily) or in-situ in the case of bioremediating soil pollution, by e.g. mulching films, further contributing to the long-term removal of non-biodegradable polymers from the environment. In addition, RECOVER can solve the microplastics pollution at the level of both industrial composting and soil.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste management
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomology
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplastics
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.2.1.4. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology
- H2020-EU.3.2.6. - Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI-JTI)
Tema(s)
Régimen de financiación
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinador
04120 Almeria
España