Novel biotechnological approaches for utilizing carbon containing wastes to make high value products: the "ANIMPOL" Project

A sustainable and value-added conversion of waste from slaughterhouses, rendering industry, and waste fractions of the biodiesel production is the aim of the project “Biotechnological conversion of carbon containing wastes for eco-efficient production of high added value products-ANIMPOL”. ANIMPOL was founded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission and the project has started on the 1st January 2010. The main objective is the development of an industrial process, that brings together the solution of industrial waste problems with essential alternative strategies for polymer industry. Waste streams from slaughterhouses are converted towards fatty acid esters (FAMEs, biodiesel). Subsequently the FAME fractions, that negatively influence the biodiesel properties as a fuel, are biotechnologically converted towards high-value polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers. This brings together representatives of the waste producers from animal processing industry and bio-fuel industry with the polymer industry looking for alternatives technologies. Research will be done in close cooperation between academic and industrial partners and will last for 36 months. In addition to the meat processing plant Reistenhofer GesmbH and the Scottish biodiesel producer Argent Energy (UK) Limited, other industrial partners are the italian packaging manufacturer Termoplast and the german company Argus Environmental Biotechnology GmbH (responsible for the downstream processing). From the academic side TU Graz acts as project coordinator and expert on biotechnology (Prof. Braunegg). Prof. Narodoslawsky’s group from TU Graz is responsable for Life Cycle Assessment and Prof. Schnitzer’s group from the same university for the development of cleaner production processes. The group of Prof. Casella (University of Padova, Italy) will be on charge of the microbiology and genetics part and Prof. Horvat (University of Zagreb, Croazia) for the mathematical modeling of bioprocesses. The Karl-Franzens University Graz (Prof. Mittelbach) takes over the task of the optimized production of biodiesel from animal fats, while the University of Pisa (Prof. Chiellini), National the Institute of Chemistry (Ljubljana, Dr. Krzan) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (Prof. Kowalczuk) have specific tasks in the field of polymer characterization. Providing long-term strategies for long-term problems, the project will result in value creation for all players. The development of this integrated process will give results in microbiology, genetics, biotechnology, chemical engineering, polymer chemistry- and processing and life cycle analysis, combined with feasibility studies for marketing of the final products. The project activities aim at solving local waste problems affecting the entire EU; the solutions will be developed on local scales, but are meant to be applied to the entire EU and will provide cost-efficient and alternatives for polymer industry. Information: Prof. Sergio Casella, University of Padua, sergio.casella@unipd.it www.animpol.tugraz.at