Algae biopolymer towards sustainable circular economy

Devadas, Vishno Vardhan; Khoo, Kuan Shiong; Chia, Wen Yi; Chew, Kit Wayne; Munawaroh, Heli Siti Halimatul; Lam, Man-Kee; Ho, Yeek‐Chia; Lee, Keat Teong; Show, Pau Loke

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2021.124702

Cited by 140 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…In the direction of utilizing biomass without purification or extraction processes, many algae-based materials have been reported. 6,7,8 For example, bacteria and algaebased symbiotic biocomposites have been made where the algal cells directed the growth of bacterial cellulose in a biofilm matrix consisting of cells and cellulose. 9 While bioplastics made with pure chlorella and spirulina biomass, 10 as well as chlamydomonas biomass plasticized with glycerol 11 have been reported, these types of biomass have been mainly used in traditional biocomposites, that is, introduced as a filler in synthetic plastics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spirulina‐based composites for 3D‐printing

Fredricks

Iyer

McDonald

et al. 2021

Journal of Polymer Science

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With material consumption increasing, the need for biodegradable materials derived from renewable resources becomes urgent, particularly in the popular field of 3D-printing. Processed natural fibers have been used as fillers for 3D-printing filaments and slurries, yet reports of utilizing pure biomass to 3D-print structures that reach mechanical properties comparable to synthetic plastics are scarce. Here, we develop and characterize slurries for extrusion-based 3D-printing comprised of unprocessed spirulina and varying amounts of cellulose fibers (CFs). Tuning the micro-morphology, density, and mechanical properties of multilayered structures is achieved by modulating the CF amount or drying method. Densified morphologies are obtained upon desiccator-drying, while oven incubation plasticizes the matrix and leads to intermediate densities. Freeze-drying creates low-density foam microstructures. The compressive strengths of the structures follow the same trend as their density. CFs are critical in the denser structures, as without the fibers, the samples do not retain their shape while drying. The compressive strength and strain to failure of the composites progressively increase with increasing filler content, ranging between 0.8 and 16 MPa and 12%-47%, respectively, at densities of 0.51-1.00 g/cm 3 . The measured properties are comparable to other biobased composites and commercial plastic filaments for 3D-printing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spirulina‐based composites for 3D‐printing

Fredricks

Iyer

McDonald

et al. 2021

Journal of Polymer Science

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“…Shifting to a more eco-benign environment, PHAs which represent the green biopolymers have captured tremendous attention from both the industry and scientific community driven by the need to replace conventional petroleum-derived non-degradable polymers or plastics. They possess enormous inherent properties such as insolubility in water, non-toxicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, piezoelectricity and thermoplasticity, and hence showing potential as substitute of petrochemical plastics (e.g., polypropylene and polystyrene) [28]. PHAs, a type of linear polyesters of hydroxyalkanoates (HAs), can be produced through microbial fermentation with renewable resources like waste and side streams [29,30].…”

Section: Bioprocesses With Waste For Biopolymers Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste biorefinery towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy: a solution to global issues

Leong

Chang

Khoo

et al. 2021

Biotechnol Biofuels

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242

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Global issues such as environmental problems and food security are currently of concern to all of us. Circular bioeconomy is a promising approach towards resolving these global issues. The production of bioenergy and biomaterials can sustain the energy–environment nexus as well as substitute the devoid of petroleum as the production feedstock, thereby contributing to a cleaner and low carbon environment. In addition, assimilation of waste into bioprocesses for the production of useful products and metabolites lead towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy. This review aims to highlight the waste biorefinery as a sustainable bio-based circular economy, and, therefore, promoting a greener environment. Several case studies on the bioprocesses utilising waste for biopolymers and bio-lipids production as well as bioprocesses incorporated with wastewater treatment are well discussed. The strategy of waste biorefinery integrated with circular bioeconomy in the perspectives of unravelling the global issues can help to tackle carbon management and greenhouse gas emissions. A waste biorefinery–circular bioeconomy strategy represents a low carbon economy by reducing greenhouse gases footprint, and holds great prospects for a sustainable and greener world.

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“…In other words, the production of bioplastics from raw food materials could enter into direct competition with food production, potentially aggravating food insecurity in some poor areas, although this production represents a small percentage of land use and food production (about 0.015%-7 million hectares-of all arable land worldwide) [1]. However, research has nevertheless focused on the production of bioplastics from other raw materials, not intended for food use such as microalgae [29,30] or organic waste. For example, Moo-Huchin et al (2020) [31] studied the use of huaya seed, considered as fruit waste as a precursor to produce bioplastics.…”

Section: Literature Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Management of Organic Waste and Recycling for Bioplastics: A LCA Approach for the Italian Case Study

et al. 2021

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The collection of the organic fraction in Italy recorded significant growth in the decade 2010–2019 (+74%) due to both the increase in the spread of separate waste collection as well as the increase in the biological treatment plants of municipal waste. However, within the organic fraction there remains a share of non-compostable material (NCM) (plastic, glass, aluminum, etc.), equal to ~5% of the total, which affects the efficiency of composting practices as well as decreasing both the yield and the quality of the final compost, causing a portion of organic material to be subtracted from composting and ending up in landfills. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to evaluate how the sustainability of the organic fraction collection and the amount of compost obtained in the composting plants could improve, following the use of biodegradable and compostable bioplastic bags (shoppers), in replacement for conventional plastic ones. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Carbon Footprint (CF) methodology was used for the assessment, comparing two different scenarios based on data relating to the collection of the organic fraction in Italy in 2019. Scenario 1 relates to the composting of organic material that also contains plastics, bioplastics, and non-compostable materials, while in scenario 2 the share of plastic material in the first scenario has been entirely replaced by bioplastics. The results show that scenario 2 assumes the lowest values for 15 impact categories out of the 18 analyzed, and, among these, in three categories it assumes negative values: ozone formation-terrestrial ecosystems (−1.64 × 10−2 kg NOX eq), ozone formation-human health (−8.50 × 10−3 kg NOX eq), and fossil resource scarcity (−4.91 × 102 kg oil eq). Furthermore, scenario 2 has a negative carbon footprint (−3.80 kg CO2 eq) compared to scenario 1 (79.71 kg CO2 eq), and in general it is the most sustainable scenario as a direct consequence of the greater amount of compost obtained (307.4 kg vs. 269.2 kg).

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Algae biopolymer towards sustainable circular economy

Cited by 140 publications

References 91 publications

Spirulina‐based composites for 3D‐printing

Spirulina‐based composites for 3D‐printing

Waste biorefinery towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy: a solution to global issues

Sustainable Management of Organic Waste and Recycling for Bioplastics: A LCA Approach for the Italian Case Study

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