Daily News

Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI (Braunschweig, Germany) are developing biobased adhesives on the basis of renewable raw materials and biogenic residues.

Buildings are responsible for about 40 % of energy consumption and 36 % of CO2 emissions in Europe.

New torrefaction approach improves mechanical properties and decomposition rate of PLA composites.

We have still not forgotten the panic and aftermaths of COVID-19 pandemic.

Tomorrow, the 1st PEF World Congress will kick off in Düsseldorf (30 & 31 October). The hybrid event (online & in person) will feature 23 presentations ranging from industry experts to EU Commission officials.

For a new research project, the Department of Water, Waste and Environmental Engineering and the Institute of Materials Engineering, Polymer Engineering at the University of Kassel and the Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology at the University of Hamburg are working towards a common goal: They want to use microbiological recycling to develop a method that returns multilayer films to their original components in an environmentally friendly way so that they can be used again for high-quality applications. The project is being funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with almost EUR 1.2 million.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched the "Bioeconomy International 2025" funding programme.

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Murdoch University (Perth, Australia) have launched The Bioplastics Innovation Hub, an AUD 8 million (USD 5.4 million) collaboration that will work with industry partners to develop a new generation of 100 % compostable plastic.

A meta-study recently completed by HYDRA Marine Sciences (Bühl, Germany) assessed the current knowledge in publicly available scientific literature and institutional and company reports on polylactide or polylactic acid (PLA) with a focus on the potential formation, persistence, and impact of PLA microplastics in the open environment.

A team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP has now developed a flexible and recyclable plastic film material based on polylactide (PLA) bioplastic and paved the way for its commercialization. For their efforts, they will receive the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2024.

AIMPLAS (Valencia, Spain) promotes the development of new sustainable and efficient materials for the construction industry obtained from carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by industries in the Valencian Community and waste produced by the citrus sector.

The VALPLAST Project aims to implement an alternative to the current way that biodegradable plastic packaging waste is managed to align it with circular economy principles.

All about innovation, applications, markets, and end-of-life of PLA was the foundation of a successful 8th PLA World Congress on May 28 and 29.

The project, financed by the Regional Ministry of University, makes it possible to create a new material from olive tree waste with good qualities for food packaging.

For a sustainable future, it's important to replace regular plastics with eco-friendly options. The EU project DEEP PURPLE investigates using wastewater as a source of biomass to make circular, eco-friendly products using Purple Phototrophic Bacteria (PPB). Along with creating bio-fertilizer, ectoine, and self-healing concrete, the project also works on getting biodegradable plastics from liquid and solid waste in wastewater and this is how they do it.

When worn, washed, and dried, clothing sheds – dispersing tiny fibres throughout homes, soils, and waterways that can take centuries to degrade.

Straws are one of the most common plastic waste products found on coastlines.

Sumitomo Chemical (Tokyo, Japan) has completed the construction of a pilot facility to establish a highly efficient process for producing methanol from CO2 at its Ehime Works, located in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, and has commenced operations at the facility.

Although efforts to improve the collection and recycling of plastics to achieve a circular economy are increasing significantly, some (synthetic) materials will eventually always end up in the environment due to e.g. littering, weathering, and abrasion.

Plastic, made in the traditional petroleum-based method, has served its purpose. The near-perfect packaging material has been instrumental in transforming the world's food supply and can be found in nearly every sector of daily life.

Wageningen University & Research has assessed the environmental impacts and circularity of different materials for single serve coffee capsules, when subjected to various end-of-life scenarios

Carbios (Clermont-Ferrand, France), a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastics and textiles, recently announced the publication in ACS Catalysis, one of the world’s most influential scientific journals (Impact Factor 13.7), of an article entitled “Assessment of Four Engineered PET Degrading Enzymes Considering Large-Scale Industrial Applications”.

A consortium of Senbis (Emmen, the Netherlands) and Dutch universities and research institutes plans to invest 6.6 million EUR in the development of a new biodegradable polyester The consortium receives a EUR 3.3 million grant through the European Just Transition Funds (JTF).

The prestigious two-day conference about everything PHA will start tomorrow, 10th of October in Atlanta, Georgia.

European Bioplastics (Berlin, Germany) supports the development of robust methodologies for assessing the environmental hazards associated with various materials when they become litter. However, elements of the press release may be considered misleading.

The goal is an easily recyclable, cellulose-based material that reduces waste and replaces unsustainable fossil-based materials such as plastic in packaging applications.

Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later — with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than you might expect. Today, researchers will describe their progress to date, including isolation and purification of insect-derived chemicals and their conversion into functional bioplastics.

Today, scarce metals and unsustainable materials are used to build conductive circuits in electronic devices.

A team of researchers from Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI, USA) led by Rafael Auras has made a biobased polymer blend that’s compostable in both home and industrial settings.

The early bird discounts for the 3rd installation of the prestigious conference about everything PHA ends today.