Reciplasa, UJI, CEBIMAT, and AIMPLAS will study how to improve the ...
- albaizquierdo3
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Reciplasa, the public company responsible for urban waste treatment and management in the province of Castellón; the PIMA research group — Polymers and Advanced Materials at the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón, the startup CEBIMAT, and the Plastics Technology Institute (AIMPLAS) have launched a study, funded with more than 500,000 euros by the Valencian Agency for Innovation, aimed at improving the biodegradation of bioplastic materials during the composting process.
The new European circular economy model and its strategy for plastics prioritize increasing the recycling of plastic packaging waste to levels comparable to those of other packaging materials. There is, therefore, an urgent need in Europe to increase recycling rates and create viable markets for recycled plastics in order to address international developments in this area, such as China’s restrictions on the import of certain plastic waste.
The project “Study of Bioplastic Waste Recovery Using New Composting Processes (COMBOOST)” will investigate new composting methods and procedures for both biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastics by adding microorganisms capable of accelerating the degradation of these materials. Specifically, the research will focus on starch-based plastics (PLA) and biodegradable plastics (PHA) and their derivatives.
In line with the circular economy strategy for plastics, the COMBOOST project will address some of the barriers to recycling plastic packaging through composting and will create new solutions for removing microplastics from the resulting compost. In this way, it will prevent them from ending up in the natural environment or in agricultural settings—and, consequently, in the food chain.
The plastics will degrade more quickly during the composting process, and waste that cannot be mechanically recycled will be diverted from landfills. Furthermore, the high-quality compost produced could be used to regenerate or improve soil quality in agriculture or gardening, without associated toxicological or contamination issues, after its safety has been verified through standardized ecotoxicity bioassays.
The reasons for promoting plastic recycling through composting include economic and environmental benefits. It should be noted that tertiary recycling of plastics can also offer competitive advantages to companies, such as an improved corporate image, green marketing, the promotion of eco-innovation, and the ability to anticipate future legislative changes (such as those already foreseen in the circular economy strategy for plastics).
The research team from Universitat Jaume I will focus on identifying an additive that improves the composting process. The work begins with identifying microorganisms that are highly capable of degrading compostable polymers, followed by developing a combination of these microorganisms and cultivating them to achieve maximum degradation capacity while also having a significant impact on the biodegradation process of compostable plastics.
The PIMA group’s research falls within the field of materials science and engineering, with areas of study including polymers for the packaging industry, the biodegradation of materials, and the development and processing of new biodegradable polymeric materials. The two researchers leading this study are Luis Cabedo Mas and José Gámez Pérez, who have more than twenty years of experience in polymer research.
Aimplas is currently developing research lines related to the circular economy and plastic waste management, as well as complementary methodologies such as tertiary and/or biological recycling. Likewise, CEBIMAT, a spin-off from the UJI, is leading biodegradation tests on plastic materials, while Reciplasa contributes its expertise in the treatment and recovery of municipal solid waste.
COMBOOST falls under two of the three pillars of the Valencian Community’s Smart Specialization Strategy, S3, coordinated by the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Commerce, and Tourism. Specifically, it focuses on promoting ecological and sustainable transition and digital transformation. The initiative also receives funding from the European Union under the Valencian Community ERDF 2021–2027 program.
Comments