MATERIALS | BIOPLASTICS
tion process in partnership with VTT. Meanwhile, EU-funded project BioSupPack has shown that brewery waste can be converted into bioplastic packaging. Partners in the five-year project – which was led by Aimplas of Spain – have developed and validated polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA and PHB) materials and production processes that
offer an alternative to fossil-based plastics while supporting compliance with the EU’s PPWR. “BioSupPack has scaled up innovative biorefin-
P L A S
Above: BioSupPack has shown that brewery waste can be converted into bioplastic packaging
ery processes and developed bio-based materials for rigid packaging for food and non-food applica- tions,” said Rosa González Leyba of Aimplas, who coordinated the project. “Our packaging proto- types are very close to the current counterparts on the market.” One key achievement was to develop a scalable
biorefinery process for PHB production from brewery spent grains. This involved “an innovative plasma pretreatment and microbial fermentation” – transforming a low-value waste stream into a functional biopolymer. The process has now reached TRL6. In addition, Sabomaterials of Italy has devel- oped PHB-based materials optimised for rigid packaging applications such as bottles and retail displays. The materials are made from renewable waste streams, are biodegradable and have been formulated for improved processability by process- es including injection moulding. This has reached TRL7, with industrial-scale production.
Carbon capture Biogenic carbon dioxide – which comes from sources such as biomass processing, fermentation
and organic waste treatment – can also be used as a feedstock for proteins and bioplastics. UNICO2RN is an EU-funded research project
that will investigate how this can be done. By targeting these waste streams, it builds on existing bio-based infrastructures and enables the integra- tion of CO2 utilisation into established industrial value chains. It uses captured biogenic CO2 to produce
microbial proteins for food and animal feed and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). This shows how unavoidable CO2 emissions from bio-based industries can be converted into market-relevant products, it says. The project integrates two complementary technologies. Metal-organic framework (MOF)- based systems are used capture high purity CO2 from biogenic point sources; and the CO2 is then converted into microbial biomass and biopolymers. UNICO2RN will demonstrate the process chain
at two industrial sites TRL7, covering CO2 capture, bioconversion and downstream processing. These demonstrations will validate the production of microbial proteins suitable for food and feed applications as well as PHA-based materials that can replace conventional fossil-based plastics. The consortium brings together 10 European partners, including project coordinator Vito of Belgium and Germany’s Nova-Institute.
Pot luck
US scientists have developed a thermoplastic derived from the hemp plant – a non-psychoactive type of cannabis.
In a study in the journal Chem Circularity, the
researchers demonstrated a stretchy, hemp-de- rived thermoplastic that can extend up to 1,600%
NatureWorks opens PLA plant in Thailand
NatureWorks has opened a 75,000 tonnes/year PLA manufacturing plant in Thailand.
It says this makes it the first company to have more than one PLA production site – adding to its existing facility in Nebraska, USA. The new plant, at the Nakhon Sawan BioComplex in Thailand, brings together production of lactic acid – derived from locally sourced sugarcane – lactide monomer and PLA polymer in a single place. It is
14 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2026
IMAGE: NATUREWORKS
designed to produce the full portfolio of Ingeo grades. “With the opening of this facility, we
are taking a major step in scaling access to Ingeo biopolymers globally,” said Erik Ripple, CEO of NatureWorks.
www.injectionworld.com
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