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Our classmates pointed out the importance of bioplastics and challenged us of to understand how synthetic biology could improve a process that has been done using biotechnology. They also suggested to look into the whisky industry or wastewater as potential raw materials. 

Assessing the sustainability

Dr Adrian Higson discussed the necessity of plastics and the problems of their current life cycle. We expressed our major concerns; the feedstock materials and the sustainability of the process. As a result, the project gained great insight from the experience of Dr. Higson. He commented that in terms of feedstock, the use of agriculture materials is simple not feasible. The use of side products however is more sustainable and by using them we are making a good choice of raw material. We need to look at the energy efficiency, water efficiency, and conversion process. The GHG emissions and water footprint are not the only impacts to look at, we have to consider the social and economic sustainability of the production.

We also discussed the possible end-of-life scenarios, according to him the recycling of bioplastics and the final break of the polymer into monomers constitute a splendid way of tackling the waste problem. This also increases the chain value of the bioplastic as the monomers can be sold as chemicals for another industry.

Implementation

Dr Adrian Higson supported our idea of using by-products from other industry (whisky to be exact) due to its sustainability features. However, he pointed the necessity of looking in detail to some other impacts. This conversation was followed by a team discussion, where, with the advice of our supervisors we started to research the incorporation of the Life Cycle Assessment model to look into the life cycle of our bioplastic.

Life Cycle Assessment is a systematic way of quantifying the environmental sustainability of a product and helps to identify aspects for improvement. It is a vital tool for sustainability studies and if implemented correctly can act as the basis to evaluate different scenarios and facilitate decisions.

Implementations

The LCA resulted in an iterative tool that began as the repercussion of the dialogues with experts and ended as a decision making instrument. The LCA supported the idea of using the in-situ secretion system and showed us that the recycling scenario modelled for our process contributed to decrease the environmental impacts up to 70%. To read more about our LCA results please click here.

Assessing Feedstock and Downstream Processing

It was also discussed the topic relating to the present obstacles in bioplastic production, according to them feedstock resources and downstream processing are the key problems that must be addressed immediately. Feedstock is an environmentally sustainable way to sequester carbon source. Additionally, the interviews added the attractiveness of using underutilised products from industries as raw materials, because they are more budget friendly since they are usually under-priced, however, it needs to be built on an effective logistics strategy in terms of the usage as well as the consistency of the components in the by-product itself. The downstream processing is one of the biggest bottlenecks in the process, for this reason having a method for delivering the bioplastic without the necessity of disrupting the cells would increase the efficiency of the overall production and potentially can lead to the implementation of continuous-batch fermentation which could run for more hours and the carbon source and the product can be simultaneously added and removed, respectively.

First, the use of whisky by-products as raw material is supported by the consistency of their elements. Second, the logistics of using them can be more achievable as they are the product of a local industry. The in-situ secretion system constitutes a potential method for reducing the use of hazardous chemicals in the process hence reduces the environmental impact of the PHBV production. Moreover, the potential use of continuous-batch fermentation can contribute to the overall efficiency of the manufacture. The cost of the bioplastic production is not the most important factor, due to the necessity of shift from oil to bio-based raw material. We took their advice of looking more into the properties and we decided to only focus on PHBV production because PHBV is a PHA copolymer with a larger thermal processing window, thus less brittle than PHB.

Implementation

They gave us advice of how to construct our narrative and to shape our objectives. Regarding the design of the process, they suggested to look into the use of fed-batch or continuous fermentation in order to increase the yield of PHBV. Furthermore, they also suggested alternatives for our in silico model.

Some notes from the Whisky by-products study case

The whisky sector remains high with a growth rate estimated at 2.1% over the period to 2018. This would result in an approximate increase in by-products in the region of: Draff – 52,800 tonnes and Pot ale – 88,800 tonnes. By-products from Scotch Whisky distillery (draff and pot ale for example), have long been reused by the agriculture sector as a valuable animal feed and fertiliser for agricultural land (Figure 1). However, suitable routes would be need to be found for these by-products, as existing are near their natural capacity. New developments have recently opened up new markets for the use of by-products as feedstock for renewable heat or its use to make protein feed for salmon farming and biofuel. 

Figure 1 Availability of by-product feedstocks by local authorities in Scotland. Taken from Ricardo Energy & Environment for Zero Waste Scotland (2017). Biorefining Potential for Scotland. 

Figure 2. The current uses for whisky by-products in Scotland. Taken from Zero Waste Scotland (2015). Sector Study on Beer, Whisky and Fish. Final Report

A circular economy approach is to use resources more efficiently, keep resources in use for as long a time as possible and to minimise waste. Identifying opportunities to improve circular approaches, for example keeping by-product materials within Scotland for further processing. There are many potential products that could feasibly be made from by-products, adding further value to a business.

References

• Miller, R. The landscape for biopolymers in packaging. Miller- Klein Associates report Summary and Full Report available from The National Non-Food Crops Centre, Heslington, New York, UK, 2005, nnfcc.co.uk.
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (2018). Scotch Whisky Sector Plan. Available at: https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/communications/sector-approach-to-regulation-consultations-on-sco/supporting_documents/SEPA_Whisky%20Sector%20Plan_Final.pdf
• Ricardo Energy & Environment for Zero Waste Scotland (2017). Biorefining Potential for Scotland. Available at: https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/Biorefining%20Potential%20for%20Scotland%20Final%20report.pdf

We were introduced to the whisky production through the tour throughout the distillery. We learnt that the whisky industry managed their resources locally and sustainably and ensured that minimum waste is generated in every batch of the production. The information obtained was very helpful in conducting the Life Cycle Assessment.  

  

Bluepha Co., Ltd. is a synthetic biology and biomaterial company established in Beijing, China. The company was the first SynBio Startup Founded by iGEMers, and they were the winner of the Future Planet Award for Sustainable Growth. Moreover, they are pioneering a revolutionary cost-effective method for producing bioplastics.

Jin Yin and Dr. Chen:

“Over 20 companies from different countries are focusing on the optimisation of PHA production, all of us are trying hard on solving many practical problems and we truly believe that the answer of some of these problems is in the use of Synthetic Biology. However, it is also important to focus on the discovery of medical applications of PHAs. The biocompatibility of PHAs enclose the potential for using it as artificial cartilage and nerve conducts. For example, US has permit the usage of P(4HB) in surgery. They believe that PHAs is a new thing deserving further studies with surprising properties that can be a potential answer for diseases such like osteoporosis. Despite of the current drawbacks, we believe in a more optimistic future for PHAs“

Implementations

We confirmed that our in-situ secretion system is a good approach to tackle the downstream processing problem. As further directions, they recommended us to look for improvements to the strain for being able to use whisky by-products more efficiently. However, it is important to note, that solving technical issues of PHA production is as important as it is related to the biomedical research. As a result, a new focus for our future research is to look into new biomedical applications of PHAs and specifically PHBV.

Understanding the recycling market of plastics

Jianfeng and Paul have experience in the petroleum-based industry and knowledge of how the plastic market has change. We were aiming to understand the importance of different disposable scenarios and they gave us an insight of the recycling industry. They explained that after the reduction of oil prices in 2014, the recycling industry had retreated as making new plastic became much cheaper than recycling it. In addition, they mentioned that recycled plastics are slightly different and the manufacturers need to add other materials to improve the physical properties. These additives tend not be in the labels of the plastics making the recycling process more difficult in a further stage.

Implementations

The recycling scenario would not be the best end-of-life for our plastics, in conjugation with the comments of Dr. Higson from NNFCC we believe that a combination of recycling and composting could be helpful in terms of the sustainability of our bioplastics. The results of the research in PHBV degradation and composability should be incorporated to the design of PHBV products.

Understanding the impacts of the process

Regarding the carbon sequestration in bioplastics, the net carbon footprint is less and bioplastic can function as CO₂ storage, but however, it cannot help with the GHG problem in the world. Furthermore, he talked about the possible disposal scenarios such as composting, anaerobic digestion and incineration. Finally, he ended his presentation by emphasising on what needs to be developed to achieve the wide use of bioplastic. Some of his examples were: Plant science, biomass production, pre-treatment of the biomass, monomer treatment, and tests and scale up. Nevertheless, the market cannot go forward if the impact of bioplastics products to the environment and society is not understood.

The lecture reaffierded that ‘Human Practices’ aspect is crucial in every project design and not just iGEM. Through our Human Practices journey, we found LCA tool which assessed the environmental impacts of a product and/or process, which is in line with what Paul Mines mentioned.