PhycoFib – sustainable fibrous materials from microalgae

对可持续性和环境影响的担忧导致对油基塑料包装替代品的需求不断增长。在英国，用于包装的纸和纸板主要由从回收纸获得的纸浆制造。由于纤维素纤维的损坏，在回收过程中强度会逐渐损失，因此需要使用进口材料来解决短缺问题。为满足日益增长的需求，需要替代的适用于纸张和纸板制造的纤维来源，同时增加英国的生产将有助于减少进口对环境的影响。以前的工作表明，纸浆可以通过添加纤维素纤维来增强，纤维素纤维经过加工以增加其细度和原纤化程度。目前，生产具有这些特征的材料，例如高度原纤化纤维素纤维（HFCF）、微原纤化纤维素（MFC）和纳米纤维素（NC），是能源密集型的并且过于昂贵。此外，现有数量不足以满足工业需求，该项目旨在确定利用微藻作为造纸业可持续纤维来源的可行性。小球藻等微藻可以大量快速生长，并进行加工，以提供可持续的油、蛋白质和其他高价值化学品来源，具有不同的应用。残余细胞壁材料中木质素的缺乏有利于MFC或NC的生产，用于制造更轻、更坚固的包装。这是非常理想的，因为运输成本和相关的温室气体排放减少。利用剩余的细胞壁材料也将使微藻生物精炼厂的零废物解决方案。我们以前已经证明，纸浆和农业食品副产品的机械空化（MCav）是一种有效的方法，可以回收有价值的材料，同时增加纤维素原纤化和纸张强度。微藻悬浮液的MCav将与造纸米尔斯内现有的材料处理方法相容，从而最小化对新设备和资本支出的需求。该项目将检查MCav应用于具有不同特性（例如油和蛋白质含量，细胞壁成分）的选定微藻物种时的性能，以确定它们是否适合造纸。将获得的藻类纤维添加到回收的纸张中，并测量其对机械强度的影响。此外，还将研究化学和生物预处理方法，如酶预处理，以提高生产效率、成本效益和产品性能。除了经济和环境效益外，这项研究还将有助于实现净零碳排放和循环生物经济。

Sustainability and environmental impact concerns have led to a growing demand for alternatives to oil-based plastic packaging. In the UK, paper and board for packaging are primarily manufactured from pulp obtained from recovered paper. A progressive loss of strength occurs during recycling due to cellulose fibre damage, necessitating the use of imported materials to address the shortfall. Alternative sources of fibre suitable for use in paper and board manufacture are desirable to meet growing demands, whilst increased UK-based production will help reduce the environmental impact of importation.Previous work has demonstrated that pulp can be strengthened by addition of cellulose fibres processed to increase their slenderness and degree of fibrillation. Presently, the production of materials with these features, such as highly fibrillated cellulose fibres (HFCFs), microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and nanocellulose (NC), is energy intensive and prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the quantities available are insufficient to meet industry needs.The project aims to establish the feasibility of using microalgae as a sustainable source of fibre for use by the paper industry. Microalgae such as _Chlorella_ can be rapidly grown in large quantities and processed to provide a sustainable source of oils, protein and other high-value chemicals with diverse applications. The lack of lignin in the residual cell wall material favours production of MFC or NC for the manufacture of lighter, stronger packaging. This is highly desirable because transportation costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Exploitation of the residual cell wall materials would also enable a zero-waste solution for microalgal biorefineries.We have previously demonstrated that mechanical cavitation (MCav) of pulp and agri-food by-products is an efficient method of recovering valuable materials whilst increasing cellulose fibrillation and paper strength. MCav of microalgal suspensions would be compatible with existing methods of material handling within paper mills, minimising the requirement for novel equipment and capital expenditure. The project will examine the performance of MCav when applied to selected species of microalgae with diverse characteristics (for example oil and protein content, cell wall composition) to establish their suitability for paper manufacture. The algal fibres obtained will be added to recovered paper and the impact on mechanical strength measured. Chemical and biological pre-processing methods such as enzyme pre-treatment will also be examined as a means of enhancing production efficiency, cost-effectiveness and product performance.In addition to the economic and environmental benefits, this study will aid progress towards net-zero carbon emissions and a circular bio-economy.