LIFE Project: Demonstration of bioplastic production from hardwood waste for high-value compostable bio-based products

The use of lignocellulosic feedstocks from EU agroforestry is a promising, sustainable, and environmentally friendly approach for the production of biodegradable and compostable bio-based materials. Access to economically and environmentally sustainable feedstocks from agroforestry residues could positively contribute to the decarbonization of the bioplastics industry. The development of downstream processes to obtain intermediate products (lignin and sugars) from lignocellulosic feedstocks with the purity required for market introduction is a challenge. Obtaining purified fermentable sugars requires specific pretreatment to first separate the sugars from the lignin and then obtain a grade of fermentable sugars suitable for industrial fermentation processes. Regarding lignin, challenges remain regarding appropriate methods for producing specific lignin grades with improved processing compatibility with thermoplastic biomaterials.

The project will address the optimization of these biomaterial formulations to enable processing with standard processes used for conventional plastics (i.e., extrusion coating, thermolamination, blown film extrusion, injection molding) to develop innovative bio-based and compostable plastic products with high replication potential.