BIOCLEAN is a European Funded Consortium under the FP7
programme. BIOCLEAN includes 19 partners from 9 different and widely distributed European Countries and 1 from China. The Consortium includes different organisation types, namely: Universities (6), Research Institutes (4), SMEs (6), a multi-municipality, one enterprise and the Association of European plastic producers (PlasticsEurope).
One of the objectives of BIOCLEAN is to develop biotechnological solutions that will foster degradation of plastics in compost units. The goal is to improve the quality of the compost produce in compost units by minimizing the presence of slow degradable particles. BIOCLEAN might provide additional solutions to divert plastics from landfills and provide additional plastic waste management options.
Biodegradation of synthetic plastics can occur in nature, in sediments and marine environments as well as in landfills, compost and soil. The process is governed by the polymer characteristics, the organisms available and the surrounding environmental conditions. However, the knowledge on the biodegradation of major synthetic polymers is still very limited and fragmented. BIOCLEAN strategy is aimed at deepening the scientific understanding on the biodegradation of such materials in natural environments and waste disposing facilities and exploring the feasibility of biotechnological solutions for the effective and sustainable disposal of plastic waste. In particular, the consortium will focus on PVC, Polystyrene, Polypropylene and Polyethylene.
BIOCLEAN intends to find smart and robust biotechnological solutions for the degradation and detoxification of:
– Plastic waste in existing landfills
– Plastic fragments entering waste composting and anaerobic digestors
– Plastic fragments occurring in marine habitats, thus contributing to mitigate the current impact of plastics in marine ecosystems
More info in: www.biocleanproject.eu
