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Boisseaux P, Hopkinson P, Santillo D, Smith C, Garmulewicz A, Powell Z, Galloway T. Environmental safety of second and third generation bioplastics in the context of the circular economy. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 256:114835. [PMID: 37003058 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Bioplastics derived from organic materials other than crude oil are often suggested as sustainable solutions for tackling end-of-life plastic waste, but little is known of their ecotoxicity to aquatic species. Here, we investigated the ecotoxicity of second and third generation bioplastics toward the freshwater zooplankton Daphnia magna. In acute toxicity tests (48 h), survival was impacted at high concentrations (g.L-1 range), within the range of salinity-induced toxicity. Macroalgae-derived bioplastic induced hormetic responses under chronic exposure (21 d). Most biological traits were enhanced from 0.06 to 0.25 g.L-1 (reproduction rate, body length, width, apical spine, protein concentration), while most of these traits returned to controls level at 0.5 g.L-1. Phenol-oxidase activity, indicative of immune function, was enhanced only at the lowest concentration (0.06 g.L-1). We hypothesise these suggested health benefits were due to assimilation of carbon derived from the macroalgae-based bioplastic as food. Polymer identity was confirmed by infra-red spectroscopy. Chemical analysis of each bioplastic revealed low metal abundance whilst non target exploration of organic compounds revealed trace amounts of phthalates and flame retardants. The macroalgae-bioplastic disintegrated completely in compost and biodegraded up to 86 % in aqueous medium. All bioplastics acidified the test medium. In conclusion, the tested bioplastics were classified as environmentally safe. Nonetheless, a reasonable end-of-life management of these safer-by-design materials is advised to ensure the absence of harmful effects at high concentrations, depending on the receiving environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Boisseaux
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK.
| | - Peter Hopkinson
- Exeter Business School, Building One, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK
| | - David Santillo
- Greenpeace laboratory, Innovation Centre, University of Exeter, EX4 4RN Exeter, UK
| | | | - Alysia Garmulewicz
- Materiom C.I.C, E8 4QS London, UK; Faculty of Administration and Economics, Department of Administration, University of Santiago of Chile, 9170022 Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Tamara Galloway
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK
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Castro-Criado D, Abdullah JAA, Romero A, Jiménez-Rosado M. Stabilization and Valorization of Beer Bagasse to Obtain Bioplastics. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15081877. [PMID: 37112023 PMCID: PMC10141695 DOI: 10.3390/polym15081877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Beer bagasse is a residue produced in large quantities, though it is undervalued in the industry. Its high protein and polysaccharide content make it attractive for use in sectors such as the manufacture of bioplastics. However, its high water content makes it necessary to stabilize it before being considered as a raw material. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the stabilization of beer bagasse and the production of bioplastics from it. In this sense, different drying methods (freeze-drying and heat treatment at 45 and 105 °C) were studied. The bagasse was also characterized physicochemically to evaluate its potential. In addition, bagasse was used in combination with glycerol (plasticizer) to make bioplastics by injection molding, analyzing their mechanical properties, water absorption capacity and biodegradability. The results showed the great potential of bagasse, presenting a high content of proteins (18-20%) and polysaccharides (60-67%) after its stabilization, with freeze-drying being the most suitable method to avoid its denaturation. Bioplastics present appropriate properties for use in applications such as horticulture and agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Castro-Criado
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Alberto Romero
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
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Peydayesh M, Bagnani M, Soon WL, Mezzenga R. Turning Food Protein Waste into Sustainable Technologies. Chem Rev 2023; 123:2112-2154. [PMID: 35772093 PMCID: PMC9999431 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
For each kilogram of food protein wasted, between 15 and 750 kg of CO2 end up in the atmosphere. With this alarming carbon footprint, food protein waste not only contributes to climate change but also significantly impacts other environmental boundaries, such as nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, global freshwater use, change in land composition, chemical pollution, and biodiversity loss. This contrasts sharply with both the high nutritional value of proteins, as well as their unique chemical and physical versatility, which enable their use in new materials and innovative technologies. In this review, we discuss how food protein waste can be efficiently valorized not only by reintroduction into the food chain supply but also as a template for the development of sustainable technologies by allowing it to exit the food-value chain, thus alleviating some of the most urgent global challenges. We showcase three technologies of immediate significance and environmental impact: biodegradable plastics, water purification, and renewable energy. We discuss, by carefully reviewing the current state of the art, how proteins extracted from food waste can be valorized into key players to facilitate these technologies. We furthermore support analysis of the extant literature by original life cycle assessment (LCA) examples run ad hoc on both plant and animal waste proteins in the context of the technologies considered, and against realistic benchmarks, to quantitatively demonstrate their efficacy and potential. We finally conclude the review with an outlook on how such a comprehensive management of food protein waste is anticipated to transform its carbon footprint from positive to negative and, more generally, have a favorable impact on several other important planetary boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Peydayesh
- ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Massimo Bagnani
- ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Wei Long Soon
- ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 Singapore
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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The use of biowaste for the production of biodegradable superabsorbent materials. Curr Opin Food Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Perez-Puyana V, Cuartero P, Jiménez-Rosado M, Martínez I, Romero A. Physical crosslinking of pea protein-based bioplastics: Effect of heat and UV treatments. Food Packag Shelf Life 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fpsl.2022.100836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Effect of Solution Properties in the Development of Cellulose Derivative Nanostructures Processed via Electrospinning. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14040665. [PMID: 35215578 PMCID: PMC8874405 DOI: 10.3390/polym14040665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few years, electrospinning has proved to be one of the best methods for obtaining membranes of a micro and nanometric fiber size. This method mainly consists in the spinning of a polymeric or biopolymeric solution in solvents, promoted by the difference in the electric field between the needle and collector, which is finally deposited as a conjunction of randomly oriented fibers. The present work focuses on using cellulose derivatives (namely cellulose acetate and ethylcellulose), based on the revaluation of these byproducts and waste products of biorefinery, to produce nanostructured nanofiber through electrospinning with the objective of establishing a relation between the initial solutions and the nanostructures obtained. In this sense, a complete characterization of the biopolymeric solutions (physicochemical and rheological properties) and the resulting nanostructures (microstructural and thermal properties) was carried out. Therefore, solutions with different concentrations (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) of the two cellulose derivatives and different solvents with several proportions between them were used to establish their influence on the properties of the resulting nanostructures. The results show that the solutions with 10 wt% in acetic acid/H2O and 15 wt% in acetone/N,N-dimethylformamide of cellulose acetate and 5 wt% of ethylcellulose in acetone/N,N-dimethylformamide, exhibited the best properties, both in the solution and nanostructure state.
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Jiménez-Rosado M, Perez-Puyana V, Sánchez-Cid P, Guerrero A, Romero A. Incorporation of ZnO Nanoparticles into Soy Protein-Based Bioplastics to Improve Their Functional Properties. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13040486. [PMID: 33557059 PMCID: PMC7913798 DOI: 10.3390/polym13040486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The union of nanoscience (nanofertilization) with controlled release bioplastic systems could be a key factor for the improvement of fertilization in horticulture, avoiding excessive contamination and reducing the price of the products found in the current market. In this context, the objective of this work was to incorporate ZnO nanoparticles in soy protein-based bioplastic processed using injection moulding. Thus, the concentration of ZnO nanoparticles (0 wt%, 1.0 wt%, 2.0 wt%, 4.5 wt%) and mould temperature (70 °C, 90 °C and 110 °C) were evaluated through a mechanical (flexural and tensile properties), morphological (microstructure and nanoparticle distribution) and functional (water uptake capacity, micronutrient release and biodegradability) characterization. The results indicate that these parameters play an important role in the final characteristics of the bioplastics, being able to modify them. Ultimately, this study increases the versatility and functionality of the use of bioplastics and nanofertilization in horticulture, helping to prevent the greatest environmental impact caused.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Jiménez-Rosado
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Escuela Politécnica Superior, 41011 Sevilla, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-954-557-179
| | - Víctor Perez-Puyana
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Facultad de Química, 41012 Sevilla, Spain; (V.P.-P.); (P.S.-C.); (A.R.)
| | - Pablo Sánchez-Cid
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Facultad de Química, 41012 Sevilla, Spain; (V.P.-P.); (P.S.-C.); (A.R.)
| | - Antonio Guerrero
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Escuela Politécnica Superior, 41011 Sevilla, Spain;
| | - Alberto Romero
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Facultad de Química, 41012 Sevilla, Spain; (V.P.-P.); (P.S.-C.); (A.R.)
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