Cooperation for innovation: BioDesign project from the TransBIB network launched

There is a great need for a cross-sector and cross-disciplinary alliance between research and industry in order to design materials and technologies from the industrial bioeconomy in an application-oriented manner. The plastics and packaging industries in particular are at the centre of the transformation of materials and raw materials.

The dramatic accumulation of plastics in our environment, particularly from the packaging sector, with drastic consequences for fauna and ultimately also for humans, is increasing the demand and endeavour for bio-based and biodegradable plastics.

In recent years, PLA (polylactides) have become increasingly important as biodegradable (industrial composting) plastics based on renewable raw materials, as their mechanical and physical properties make them relevant for industrial applications (e.g. films, bags, injection-moulded parts), where they could replace conventional plastics such as PE, PP and PET.

However, a decisive disadvantage is the insufficient degradation rate of PLA under uncontrolled environmental conditions. This is where the BioDesign project comes in: PLA-degrading enzymes are to be introduced into the PLA masterbatch using carrier material and only activated by the environmental conditions in order to degrade the PLA more quickly. The loading of the carrier material with enzymes is being researched by the Chair of Biotechnology at RWTH Aachen University.

A material-specific bifunctional peptide (adhesion promoter) is developed there using protein engineering. The loaded carrier particles can then be introduced into the PLA masterbatch as a functional additive. In order to reduce the heat effect on the enzymes during a standard extrusion and injection moulding process, the focus is not only on the carrier material but also on optimising the thermal load and dwell time. AI-supported software is used to simulate and optimise the flow behaviour of the material in the hot runner system.
The clear aim is to develop industrial PLA injection moulded parts with programmed and improved enzymatic degradation under environmental conditions.

The project is being coordinated by SKZ - The Plastics Centre in Würzburg, which is contributing its expertise in the field of compounding and extrusion to the project. The Chair of Biotechnology at RWTH Aachen University is using its expertise in the field of protein engineering for the customised generation of adhesion-promoting bifunctional peptides that bind the PLA-degrading enzymes to the carrier material.

The BioDesign project is being funded from September 2024 to February 2027 by the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) with AiF Projekt GmbH as the project sponsor.