On the way to new materials

COSSMA: Could you please briefly present the EU project “Bionano-polys” and its goals? 

Harald Pichler: Bionanopolys is a European research project with a project time frame from 2021 to 2024 which is funded under the “Horizon 2020” framework program and coordinated by the research centre Itene in Spain. The project aims at developing an open innovation test-bed environment with14 pilot plant and additional supportive services to produce inno-vative biopolymers and bio-nanocomposites from sustainably sourced feedstocks as well as bio-based nanoproducts for packaging, textile, agriculture, pharma, food, or cosmetics industries. To speed up the introduction of novel bio-based nano-enabled materials into the market, Bionanopolys will provide a single-entry point that connects stakeholders from this field with the consortium. 

How far has the project progressed in achieving its goals?

Harald Pichler: The project has passed the first 18 months which were mainly dedicated to the upgrading of the pilot plants and the collection of partners’ demands in terms of the Bionanopolys legal entity – that will be one of the main outcomes of this project. To attract potential users for this open innovation testbed, the dissemination activities are in full swing: In the frame of national stakeholder events in the twelve participating countries, the concept was introduced and interested stakeholders were invited to an open call for test-cases that will be starting in early 2023.

The main challenge that Bionanopolys intends to overcome is to find quick but efficient solutions to switch from fossil-based resources to a bio-based alternative, while keeping or even improving their performance parameters to drive their adoption by industry and end users. Besides, fossil-based materials are currently still cheaper – a barrier for a successful market entry at the moment.

What contribution does it want to make to combat the global climate crisis?

Harald Pichler: Climate protection, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and saving of fossil resources are key elements for a more sustainable future. Bionanopolys unites not only its 27 partners but also more than 100 experts in the field of bio-based nanomaterials to create synergies and drive the development of bio-based nanomaterials in the most efficient way. 

Still, these so-called biomaterials must offer functional properties for high-volume applications and need to perform even better to drive their adoption by industry and end users. Therefore, Bionanopolys set up a variety of pilot plants: Five pilot plants are focussing on the extraction of compounds from biomass, three pilot plants are dedicated to bio-
nanocomposites and six pilot plants aim at manufacturing bio-based nanoproducts. These pilot plants will enable a wide range of applications in different sectors. The project, for the first time, creates an integrated platform of technologies and services devoted to nanotechnology based and bio-based raw materials.

What materials can be used in the process? And how are these relevant to the cosmetics industry?

Stefano Manfredini: The project will use high lignocellulosic feedstocks to produce cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystals, nanolignin and metallic nanoparticles on the one hand. On the other hand, high sugar content feedstocks will serve to produce building blocks, organic acids, PHA and active compounds to create nanocapsules that are all in high demand in the cosmetics sector. Biomass itself is usually produced from (industrial) waste or residues.

Can products made from it, e.g., in packaging, be reintroduced into a cycle and recycled accordingly?

Harald Pichler: Yes, but source materials are not just industrial waste or residues, but mostly coming from agro-food industrial waste products such as wood chips or energy grass, e.g., straw or China grass. Bionanopolys will then create products, for instance biopolymers such as PHB and PLA used in packaging, as well as succinate, an organic compound that is also occurring in the metabolisms of humans and other organisms and that serves as an important basis for e.g., cosmetics and dietary supplements. 

Stefano Manfredini: Regarding the life cycle and recycling of these products, Bionanopolys follows a strict regenerative design, also known as cradle-to-cradle design (C2C), implying that our products will be sustainable and considerate of life and future generations. Depending on the product itself and its use, we emphasise on a “Reuse rather than recycle” approach.

How could this be applied in practice, e.g., in relation to packaging development but also to the ecological footprint of a product/brand?

Stefano Manfredini: A brand can self-certify or be certified by a third party in terms of the ecological footprint, e.g., water stewardships and carbon negative. Or we will use other global company certification tools.

Brands like to emphasise their sustainability in their presentation. How could the use of biomass in manufacturing be communicated?

Stefano Manfredini: Of course. We have several certifying bodies that issue their certifications after conducting inspections and carefully monitoring production and purchasing. Labels that are of interest, are Cosmos, Natrue, Cradle to Cradle, Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, Blue Angel or Iso 16128 to name the best known. But of course, we are not limited to these.

Let’s assume that the project becomes an established process in the not-too-distant future. What might that look like in practice and how would it influence climate protection?

Harald Pichler: It’s not a project to establish one product, but a variety of processes to create manyfold products in the future. These processes have already been conducted while the project is carried out: The open innovation testbed is established in a way that many processes and pilot plants are running simultaneously.

Stefano Manfredini: By further improving these pilot plants and processes – that reduce CO2 and promote the circular economy with less dependence on the production chain of external sources – new companies can enter the field and create new, environmentally friendly products. 

What do you wish for the project in the next years?

Harlad Pichler: We want to further establish connections between pilot plants and a legal entity that will be established as a legal entity that governs these pilot plants so future collaborating partners can develop their ideas and use cases.

Stefano Manfredini: I personally hope that choosing the most sustainable path will really become a priority and that customers, through 
their choices, will help industries to move faster in a direction, where e.g., the sustainable use of natural resources in the cosmetic industry and therefore more ethical cosmetic products will become more attractive for end-users.