Plastic production is increasing every day. 79% of this generated plastic ends up in landfills or in the environment and has become one of the main current environmental problems. 8 million tons of plastic reach our seas every year. If we continue this trend, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
On the other hand, 88 million tons of organic waste are produced each year in Europe, producing environmental impacts and the generation of climate change emissions, polluting waters and enormous economic impacts derived from the cost of managing organic waste.
That is why the Spanish startup VEnvirotech Biotechnology has developed a technology that makes it possible to generate bioplastics from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from organic waste using bacteria, which allows the recovery of organic waste generated by agri-food companies and sludge from industrial or municipal treatment plants.
Dairy industries generate a large volume of process water, also known as ‘Aguas Blancas’. One of the company’s projects consists of the recovery of this waste generated after cleaning the tanks and pipes of its production process.
In the VE-BOX pilot plant, built inside maritime containers and installed in an agri-food plant in Pascual, the biological process takes place in which these bacteria are fed with the white water from the organic waste of the plant, which makes that your bioplastic is a 100% biological product. VEnvirotech has entrusted ITC with the dosage of various fluids in this process, today a pioneer in the world.
ITC’s solution has consisted in the design and manufacture of complete dosing skids including diaphragm pumps of the Dostec 40 and Dositec models and accessories such as isolating, holding, relief, foot and diffuser valves. The compact wall design of the skids saves space inside the shipping containers that contain most of the purification and generation process. The hydraulic calculation carried out by ITC technicians has also allowed the use of flexible tubing with a minimum section, easily integrated into the already well-used interior space offered by a maritime container.
The control of the medium and the feeding of the bacteria makes it possible to control the correct generation of the bioplastics produced. Thanks to this technology, organic waste is valued and treated in the same place where it is generated, turning it into a product with high added value, a PHA bio plastic, producing economic and environmental advantages.
PHAs, or Polyhydroxyalkanoate, are a type of high quality biodegradable polyesters that are produced by bacteria in this process. These types of bioplastics are insoluble in water, but can be rapidly biodegraded between 6 and 12 months by many microorganisms.
VE-Oplastic, the bioplastic produced by VEnvirotech bacteria is specifically PHBV, suitable for applications such as packaging, biomedicine, adhesives or 3D printing, while remaining sustainable since they do not cause toxic effects on the environment.
The possible use of these plastics as part of the packaging of dairy products that are precisely their origin closes a virtuous circle of km 0 in which what was previously considered waste today is the raw material that generates a material that can be used by it industry.