BioICEP - Bio Innovation of a Circular Economy for Plastics

Project leader: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maus-Friedrichs / Dr. Georgia Sourkouni

Funding period: 01/2020 - 12/2023
Funding agency: EU (Horizon 2020)
Funding code: 870292

Laboratories: CZM

Bio-innovation of a circular economy for plastics

The Bio-Innovation Consortium for a Circular Economy for Plastics (BioICEP) is a pan-European collaborative Chinese organization established to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. Countries have been selected to represent different mixed plastic pollution environments, with specific partners chosen that have the expertise and facilities to carry out the necessary technical innovations. Three innovative booster technologies form the core of this solution, accentuating, accelerating and boosting the degradation of plastics to levels far beyond what is currently achievable. Our approach is a triple-action depolymerization system in which plastic waste is decomposed in three successive processes: 1) mechanical biochemical disintegration processes to reduce the molecular weight of the polymer (MW) so that it can be biodegraded; 2) biocatalytic digestion with enzymes enhanced by a number of innovative techniques, including accelerated screening by novel fluorescent sensor and directed evolution; and 3) microbial consortia engineered from best-in-class single microbial strains, which together result in highly efficient degradation of mixed plastic waste streams. The results of this degradation process are used as building blocks for new polymers or other bioproducts to enable a new circular economy based on plastic waste. The BioICEP technology can lead to significant financial savings in the total cost of social and environmental pollution. The task of Clausthal University of Technology is to activate the plastic surfaces for the microorganisms and to develop the processes required for this. The materials are characterized in detail before and after treatment with regard to their surface properties. The surface is activated using sonochemical and mechanochemical processes.

Project manager: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Maus-Friedrichs / Dr. Georgia Sourkouni

Funding period: 01/2020 - 12/2023
Funding agency: EU (Horizon 2020)
Funding reference number: 870292

Laboratories: CZM

The Bio Innovation of a Circular Economy for Plastics (BioICEP) consortium is a pan-European-Chinese collaborative formed to reduce the burden of plastic waste in the environment. The countries have been selected to represent different mixed plastic pollution environments, with specific partners selected which have the expertise and facilities to carry out the necessary technical innovations. Three innovative booster technologies are at the core of this solution accentuating, expediting, and augmenting plastics degradation to levels far in excess of those currently achievable. Our approach is a triple-action depolymerization system where plastic waste will be broken down in three consecutive processes: 1) mechano-biochemical disintegration processes, to reduce the polymer molecular weight (MW) of the base polymer to make it amenable to biodegradation; 2) biocatalytic digestion, with enzymes enhanced through a range of innovative techniques including accelerated screening through a novel fluorescent sensor and directed evolution; and 3) microbial consortia developed from best-in-class single microbial strains, which combined leads to highly efficient degradation of mixed plastic waste streams. The outputs from this degradation process will be used as building blocks for new polymers or other bioproducts to enable a new plastic waste-based circular economy. The BioICEP technology has the potential to lead to dramatic financial savings on the overall social and environmental plastic pollution costs.
The task of the TU Clausthal is to activate the plastic surfaces for the microorganisms and to develop the required processes. The materials are thoroughly characterized before and after treatment regarding their surface properties.
The activation of the surface takes place by means of sonochemical and mechanochemical methods.