[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7416\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhy scientists want to turn tree bark and compost into aircraft wings and plastic bags \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese so-called biopolymers could play a vital role in weaning us off petroleum plastics \u2013 which will help cut greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure plastics come from a renewable resource.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd in some cases they could help to reduce plastic pollution. One of the major sources of plastic pollution is packaging, which accounted for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.plasticseurope.org\/en\/resources\/publications\/4312-plastics-facts-2020\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Enearly 40%\u003C\/a\u003E of the plastic used in the EU in 2019, according to Plastics Europe, a trade association.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have developed ways to make biodegradable food waste bags and food packaging from municipal food and garden waste.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You are transforming organic waste to make a waste bag, which is biodegradable. So you are closing the cycle \u2013 you don\u2019t use other materials to make the (plastic) bag,\u2019 said Thomas Dietrich, an engineer in biotechnology at Spain\u2019s TECNALIA, a research and technological development centre.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDietrich is project manager of a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/720777\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EVOLATILE\u003C\/a\u003E, which has developed a technology that can be integrated into existing municipal anaerobic digestion and composting plants. It uses microorganisms to break down organic waste into volatile fatty acids, which are the building blocks of the PHB and PHBV plastics used to make plastic bags and food packaging.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe main by-product is a residue which can be used to make compost. Hydrogen gas is another by-product, and it can be used to make electricity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBiodegradable\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing biowaste to produce biodegradable plastics could help solve a major challenge caused by the majority of biodegradable plastics currently being used.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Normally the big (industries) selling (biodegradable plastics) on the market use food-grade agricultural materials,\u2019 said Dietrich.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause of the volumes needed, it will not be possible to use agricultural produce to replace petroleum-based packaging without competing with food crops or biofuels for agricultural land, said Dietrich.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018So we have to try to keep organic carbon in the economy without falling back on agriculture,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlastic bags and packaging made with VOLATILE\u2019s technology would end up in household biowaste and in theory could be used once more to produce volatile fatty acids \u2013 although this has not yet been tested by the VOLATILE team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the main challenges to this type of system is the lack of composting plants in most regions of the world, including Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAcross the EU, up to 50% of municipal solid waste is organic, and only about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.compostnetwork.info\/policy\/biowaste-in-europe\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E40% of biowaste\u003C\/a\u003E is recycled into high-quality compost and digestate, says the European Compost Network. The majority goes to landfill or for incineration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, this is likely to improve. The European Environment Agency says recycling more municipal bio-waste is \u2018crucial\u2019 for meeting \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/topics\/waste-and-recycling\/waste-framework-directive_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEU targets to recycle and reuse at least 60% of all waste by weight\u003C\/a\u003E by 2030.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Whether plastics are biodegradable or not is due to their chemical composition \u2013 not their origins. So petroleum-based plastics can be biodegradable, and plant-based ones can be non-biodegradable.\u0026nbsp;Image credit - Sven Brandsma \/ Unsplash \u0022 height=\u00223871\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/sven-brandsma-n1ia4rykxti-unsplash.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Whether plastics are biodegradable or not is due to their chemical composition \u2013 not their origins. So petroleum-based plastics can be biodegradable, and plant-based ones can be non-biodegradable.\u0026nbsp;Image credit - Sven Brandsma \/ Unsplash \u0022 width=\u00225806\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EWhether plastics are biodegradable or not is due to their chemical composition \u2013 not their origins. So petroleum-based plastics can be biodegradable, and plant-based ones can be non-biodegradable.\u0026nbsp;Image credit - Sven Brandsma \/ Unsplash\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EComposition\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhether plastics are biodegradable or not is due to their chemical composition \u2013 not their origins. So petroleum-based plastics can be biodegradable, and plant-based ones can be non-biodegradable.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, a shift to biopolymers would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced to make the plastics \u2013 even if the end product is not biodegradable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to achieve this (shift) in 10, or maximum 15, years because the climate stakes are so high,\u2019 said Vincent Placet, a research engineer at the FEMTO-ST Institute in France.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The quantity of CO2 emitted to produce wood and plants is very low,\u2019 said Placet, adding that they also absorb atmospheric CO2 during growth. He coordinates a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/744349\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ESSUCHY\u003C\/a\u003E, which is developing load-bearing bio-based composites for use in automotive and aerospace industries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiopolymers derived from trees and crops are already used to make car interiors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther biopolymers are being developed to be load-bearing. These include thermoset plastics which are designed to last up to 30 years under harsh conditions \u2013 in aeroplane wings and bodies for example.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the most widely used thermoset plastics are epoxies, which are used in composite materials. Composite materials comprise up to 50% of the latest aeroplanes by weight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We have produced a fully bio-based epoxy. Now the main issue is scaling it up,\u2019 said Placet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo scale up, an entire supply chain needs to be created, starting with finding suppliers of the plant materials, he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne option is to use waste from forestry \u2013 tree bark, branches and roots. \u2018It\u2019s available in very large quantities and not used in any other application. In northern Europe, the feedstock is very large and we know it can answer the needs for this type of epoxy polymer,\u2019 said Placet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother challenge is how to make the processing greener and more cost competitive than their petrochemical equivalents. Petrochemical epoxies are cheaper to produce and use less power and solvents. However, some of those efficiencies are because they are done on an industrial scale instead of in a laboratory, Placet says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s doable from a technical point of view,\u2019 but more investment is needed to scale up and build the necessary value chains, he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018You are transforming organic waste to make a waste bag, which is biodegradable. So you are closing the cycle.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EThomas Dietrich, TECNALIA \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1%\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGlobally, bio-based plastics comprise about 1% of the 368 million tonnes of plastic produced annually, says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.european-bioplastics.org\/market\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEuropean Bioplastics\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESourcing the remaining 99% from plants \u2018is not an option\u2019, says Sander Defruyt, head of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.newplasticseconomy.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ENew Plastics Economy\u003C\/a\u003E, an initiative of the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation to redesign the future of plastics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Where is all that biomaterial going to come from, in a way that is regenerative and not depleting our ecosystems? The demands on our ecosystems will just go through the roof, and we\u2019re already crossing planetary boundaries today,\u2019 he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven biodegradable plastics will have limited impact on reducing plastic pollution because most of the world\u2019s regions do not have the necessary industrial composting facilities, Defruyt says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAddressing plastic pollution \u2013 and solving our reliance on petroleum-based plastics \u2013 requires eliminating all unnecessary plastics, and reusing the plastics that are needed, to keep them out of the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter that, \u2018the very little virgin plastic that we still need \u2026 will need to be shifted from fossil-based sources to regeneratively sourced bio-based plastics to stop that systems-dependence on finite fossil resources,\u2019 said Defruyt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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