BIOPLASTICS | MATERIALS


Brewing waste, biogenic carbon dioxide and hemp are all new potential feedstocks for bioplastics, while new enzymatic processes could speed up biodegradation rates


Finding alternative bioplastic sources


Bioplastics have been gaining ground for nearly two decades. And while their output is still small compared to conventional polymers, there is a growing range of materials available – derived from a variety of feedstocks. For instance, brewing waste is considered a


promising raw material for bioplastics, and two separate European development projects back this up. Research organisation VTT has helped Finnish


start-up Granulous develop a compostable bioplastic from spent grains – a side stream of beer brewing which are typically used for animal feed, or burnt for energy. “We saw an opportunity to cut costs in breweries


and reduce emissions and global reliance on virgin raw materials by upcycling this waste into some- thing more valuable,” said Joonas Sirviö, CEO of Granulous. The company approached VTT with the idea of turning spent grains into a mouldable, biodegrad- able material.


“But we didn’t have knowledge on how to break www.filmandsheet.com


down the material development into pieces,” he said. “VTT’s lab-scale developments and testing of various material qualities and variations brought that missing element into our operation.” To define the target properties needed for the


new material, VTT began by testing the mechanical properties of commercial toothbrushes and comparing different materials. It then came up with a recipe that would produce the right properties and could be tested in injection moulding trials. These showed promising results – and led to a final recipe that could be tested at an industrial scale. Granulous has now closed a seed funding round to continue developing its material and business – planning to focus on the forestry, gardening and agriculture markets. “Our core material was just the beginning,” Sirviö said. “Now, it’s time to take things further by adding valuable features. For example, we’re combining the material’s existing strengths with added nutrients to create something new for gardening and forestry.” The company is also developing its polymerisa-


Main image: Biesterfeld will distribute Traceless bioplastics in Europe


July/August 2026 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 13


IMAGE: TRACELESS


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