Industrial scale-up and functionality extension of novel compostable (and bio-based) hetero-aromatic biopolymers for the flexible packaging and coatings industries (BioPolyScaleUp)

众所周知，塑料是生活中必不可少的一部分。然而，塑料来源于化石原料和报废问题，促使政府、工业和社会层面进行审查并渴望变革。Biome的新型包装对这两个问题都有影响-来自可再生生物基来源和可堆肥。自20世纪50年代以来，全球估计产生了92亿吨塑料废物（Statista，2022），其中超过50%仍然存在于垃圾填埋场或松散的环境中。全球塑料生产、回收和处置的温室气体排放量是航空旅行的两倍多（《自然-气候-变化》，2019年）。根据目前的需求，化石塑料的生产量约为3.3亿吨/年。虽然它们有用且普遍存在，但它们的开发重点是功能而不是寿命终止性能及其环境影响。回收本身并不是解决“塑料问题”的完整答案。这包括成本、食品污染、退化和环境向土壤和海洋的渗漏。生物基和可生物降解塑料是解决方案的重要组成部分，为此类材料提供低碳路线并在适当的环境中进行生物降解。Biome Technologies plc、托马斯斯旺公司和诺丁汉大学化学工程系之间的这一合作项目将加速制造过程和产品优化，通过与现有商业客户合作，扩大Biome目前研究的四种新型生物塑料的规模。该项目的成果将促进一系列新的可持续和可生物降解材料的商业部署，减少垃圾填埋和堆肥和土壤中不可生物降解塑料的环境负担，同时提高生产力和更广泛的英国（生物）经济增长。

Plastics are an essential part of life as we know it. However, their sourcing from fossil-based raw materials and end-of-life issues have contributed to the scrutiny and desire for change at governmental, industrial and societal levels. Biome's novel packaging impacts both issues - sourced from renewable bio-based origins and compostable.An estimated 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been generated globally since the 1950s (Statista,2022) of which over 50% remains in landfill or loose in the environment. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling and disposal of plastics is more than double that of air travel (Nature-Climate-Change,2019).In line with current demand, fossil-based plastics are produced at a rate of ~330mtpa. While useful and ubiquitous, they have been developed focusing on function over end-of-life performance and their environmental impact. Recycling alone is not the complete answer to the "plastics problem". This includes cost, food contamination, degradation and environmental leakage to soils and oceans. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics are an important part of the solution providing low-carbon routes to such materials and biodegradation in appropriate environments.This collaborative project between Biome Technologies plc, Thomas Swan & Co and Nottingham University's Chemical Engineering Department will accelerate the manufacturing process and product optimisation, scaling-up of four novel bioplastics from Biome's current research in partnership with existing commercial customers.The project's outcome will facilitate the commercial deployment of a new range of sustainable and biodegradable materials, reducing landfill and the environmental burden of non-biodegradable plastics in composts and soils whilst increasing productivity and growth for the wider UK (bio)economy.