The development of recycling methods for bio-based materials – A challenge in the implementation of a circular economy: A review

Zaborowska, Magdalena; Bernat, Katarzyna

doi:10.1177/0734242x221105432

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 133 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…End-of-life management practices for bio-based products, including disposal or recycling, can affect land use. The primary use of landfills for disposal has implications for land use, whereas sustainable practices like composting or recycling can reduce the land-use footprint (D'Adamo et al 2020;Zaborowska and Bernat 2023).…”

Section: ) Indirect Impacts Of Bioeconomy On Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Global Bioeconomy Assessment: Coordinated Efforts of Policy, Innovation, and Sustainability for a Greener Future

2024

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The bioeconomy, also known as the bio-based economy, refers to the economic activity involving the use of biotechnology and biomass in producing goods, services or energy. It aims to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels in the energy and industrial sectors. Bioeconomy has been widely accepted by different countries and regions as a critical strategy for coping with fossil fuel shortage and climate change, among other environmental problems. Bioeconomy mainly utilizes biomass resources to generate bio-based products. In terms of biomass resources, they can be divided into three generations. The first-generation biomass resources, primarily edible biomass materials, present an issue of “competing with people for food/land.” The second-generation biomass resources are derived from non-edible sources, mainly lignocellulosic materials, which are accompanied by immature processes for their efficient conversion into valuable biofuels and other high-value bioproducts. Thirdgeneration biomass resources represent an emerging frontier in the world of sustainable bioenergy and bioproducts, primarily consisting of algae or rapidly synthesized biomass achieved through advanced cell engineering techniques. This report focuses on bioenergy, bio-based chemicals, bio-based plastics and bio-based macromolecular materials (textiles and paper) in technical conversion, highlighting the resources, dominating technical routes, challenges and prospects.

show abstract

Section: ) Indirect Impacts Of Bioeconomy On Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Global Bioeconomy Assessment: Coordinated Efforts of Policy, Innovation, and Sustainability for a Greener Future

2024

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These regenerated aerogels can then be effectively reused for removing pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and phenolic compounds over three consecutive cycles with no significant changes in their removal performance [44]. Yet, when it comes to managing the end-of-life phase of these materials, various recycling methods, including mechanical, chemical, and organic, can be employed [45]. Mechanical recycling involves reusing waste as a valuable raw material for further processing.…”

Section: The Re-assembly Of Nanobuilding Blocks Into Advanced Materia...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, organic recycling uses methods such as anaerobic digestion or composting. Compared to chemical and mechanical recycling, which can be more expensive and less favorable due to the need for enhanced systems to separate bio-based materials, organic recycling emerges as a sustainable alternative [45].…”

Section: The Re-assembly Of Nanobuilding Blocks Into Advanced Materia...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Materials via the Assembly of Biopolymeric Nanobuilding Blocks Valorized from Agri-Food Waste

Peydayesh

2024

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents an overview of current state-of-the-art agri-food waste valorization for developing advanced materials via the nanoscale assembly of biopolymeric building blocks. Emphasizing the imperative shift from a linear to a circular economy, the environmental impacts of agri-food waste, including its substantial contribution to global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and resource depletion, are underscored. This study explores the potential of harnessing proteins and polysaccharides extracted from agri-food waste to synthesize advanced materials, such as films, hydrogels, and aerogels. The two categories of fibrillar nanobuilding blocks, including exfoliated fibrils from structural biopolymers like cellulose, chitin, silk, and collagen, as well as self-assembled protein nanofibrils from different proteins valorized from food industries’ waste, are showcased. These biopolymeric nanofibrils can be further assembled to develop hierarchical advanced materials, with many applications in energy, environmental fields, and beyond. However, in this context, there are critical considerations, including the sustainability of the valorization methods, challenges associated with the heterogeneity of food waste, and the imperative need for a life cycle assessment to ensure complete sustainability. The delicate balance between integrating waste into the food chain and exploring alternative scenarios is discussed, along with challenges related to the short lifespan of agri-food waste, its heterogeneity, and the economic viability of valorization processes. Finally, the ongoing pursuit of developing high-performance, sustainable materials and the importance of societal cultivation to foster a circular economy mindset are discussed.

show abstract

“…Consequently, the manufacture of polymers from renewable sources has become an attractive solution, and over the years it has shown exponential growth towards sustainability. [120][121][122][123][124][125][126] Polymers are materials that present great diversity and versatility and, for this reason, provide technological advances, energy-saving and other benefits to society through the production of a wide range of products. [127][128][129] It is well-known that there is a growing awareness of the use of eco-friendly polymers for food packaging applications.…”

Section: Food Packaging: the Importance Of Biodegradable Polymers As ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Polymer blends of poly(lactic acid) and starch for the production of films applied in food packaging: A brief review

Silva

Rios

Santana

2023

Polymers from Renewable Resources

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The limited degradation of synthetic polymers used in food packaging when discarded in the environment is a major concern for society. Therefore, industry and academia have sought to develop biodegradable and eco-friendly materials for single-use in packaging. An interesting alternative for the food industry is biodegradable polymeric films, which is why different biopolymers have been used in the production of sustainable packaging. It is worth mentioning that the use of biodegradable polymers is one of the most successful innovations in the industry to address issues related to the environment. Among the available raw materials, starch extracted from different renewable sources is very promising for this purpose, due to its abundance, low-cost compared to other polymers and ability to produce non-toxic films. However, when used alone, pure starch has many limitations, which can be overcome by developing a mixture with other polymers (polymer blends), preferably from renewable and biodegradable sources, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA). In this context, the absence of literature reviews evidencing the results of the application of films in foods led us to write this article, given the importance of polymer blends produced with different types of starch (cassava, corn, pea, potato, rice and wheat) and the PLA matrix. According to the results, it is clear that polymer blends based on PLA/Starch for food packaging are very promising, already being part of the industries solutions, aiming to minimize the large volume of plastic waste of petrochemical origin discarded in nature. Obviously, as with any technology, more research is needed to further improve the performance of the films, and while much research has made great strides, there are still limitations that prevent the commercialization of these materials.

show abstract

The development of recycling methods for bio-based materials – A challenge in the implementation of a circular economy: A review

Cited by 11 publications

References 133 publications

Global Bioeconomy Assessment: Coordinated Efforts of Policy, Innovation, and Sustainability for a Greener Future

Global Bioeconomy Assessment: Coordinated Efforts of Policy, Innovation, and Sustainability for a Greener Future

Sustainable Materials via the Assembly of Biopolymeric Nanobuilding Blocks Valorized from Agri-Food Waste

Polymer blends of poly(lactic acid) and starch for the production of films applied in food packaging: A brief review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About