Imagine taking the messy leftovers from a slaughterhouse and the sludge from a paper mill and treating them like food for specific bacteria. These bacteria eat the waste and turn it into a natural plastic that doesn't pollute the earth. This plastic can then be used for things like farm wraps or fancy coatings for packaging, and the leftovers become high-quality plant food.
Industries struggle with the high cost of bioplastics and the environmental burden of massive waste streams from slaughterhouses and paper mills. Current disposal methods like landfills lead to methane emissions and groundwater pollution.
A biorefinery process that converts waste into PHBV copolymers. Deliverables include prototypes for paper coatings, rigid packaging, mulching films, and coated fertilizers.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with plastic pollution from farm wraps — this project developed PHBV-based mulching films and coated fertilizers that are biodegradable. This allows you to replace fossil-based plastics with a bio-based alternative that reduces soil degradation.
If you are a packaging company dealing with the demand for plastic-free coatings — this project developed a PHBV-based paper coating and rigid packaging. This creates a 100% renewably sourced solution for personal care products.
If you are a waste manager dealing with 13.8 MTon of paper sludge and 53.9 MTon of slaughterhouse waste annually — this project developed a co-processing biorefinery. This turns costly landfill waste into high-value platform chemicals and bioplastics.
Based on available project data, the project aims to produce 'cost-efficient' PHBV by using low-cost waste streams like glycerol and dairy sludge as feedstocks, creating additional revenue for waste-generating industries.
The project has operated a 1 m³ reactor and pilot systems. It aims to impact the bioeconomy by valorising 20,000 tons of rumen content waste and 50,000 tons of paper sludge per year.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the consortium includes 9 industrial partners and 3 research centers to develop the technology.
The project validates both enzymatic and chemical recycling to recover monomers, which are then reincorporated back into the production process.
The project runs from May 2023 to April 2027, indicating that full validation and prototype finalization occur within this window.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with a 64% industry ratio, consisting of 14 partners across 8 countries. With 9 SMEs and 9 industrial actors involved, the project is strongly geared toward commercial application rather than pure academic research, combining waste producers (GG, HEPA) with technology developers (AIMPLAS, CARTIF) and market experts (ENCO).
Contact AIMPLAS in Spain for technical specifications on PHBV prototypes.
Contact us to connect with the ELLIPSE consortium for bioplastic licensing.
