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Converting waste to a high value biodegradable plastic
Dr Kevin O’ Connor
School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science
Sustainability
“..meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Brundtland report 1987
Economic growth Linked to waste production (unsustainable)
Plastic Highly desired & highly problematic
Biodegradable plastic Compostable and high value uses
Research & innovation Bridging the gap
Sustainability and ecoinnovation
Waste opportunity
Waste as a target – Increasing cost of waste management – Uncertainty about waste management in the future – Limited technologies for high value conversion – Low cost starting material
Petrochemical plastic waste Scientific academic challenge
Poor recycling rates PS – 2% recycling rate in US (highest worldwide) PET‐ 25% recycling – collection system in operation PE – 10% recycling – Farm plastics – collection scheme
Petrochemical plastic Multi‐purpose
(Non‐biodegradable) Waste Landfill
Upcycle Convert to value added product
Recycle to petrochemical plastic low value product relative to virgin material
Downcycling
New Markets
(€30 billion)
Strategy for upcycling plastic waste
Chemistry Pyrolysis
PS, PET & others
Plastic upcycling to a biodegradable plastic
Invention disclosure form – Nova UCD PET to PHA – patented Mixed plastic ‐ patented Other patents under development PE – joint industry project
Microbiology Fermentation
Biodegradation 612 months
PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate)
Opportunity roadmap Bioplastic
Biodegradable plastic – Premium product – Rapidly growing markets – Petrochemical US$ 300 billion market – Bioplastics 25% share of market by 2020
Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) – Packaging, agriculture, textiles, medicine – Biocompatible (biomedical implants/wound healing) – Highly desired by industry – One of 5 chemicals to change the world (Forbes) – Historically focus on short chain length PHA – Bioplastech produces medium chain length PHA – mclPHA greater diversity and greater opportunities
EU lead market Iniative and Kok Report
The production of a single (bio)product from waste or renewable resources (Single (bio)refinery) is not sustainable (Life cycle analysis)
Sole product mentality obsolete
Biofuels – bioethanol, biodiesel Bioplastics – Polylactic acid, polyhydroxybutyrate Biolubricants – plant oils
Integration of technologies
Fuel from plastics an emerging industry Opportunity to integrate two technologies at one site
Opportunity roadmap – Integration
Opportunity roadmap Fuels and bioplastics
Plastic waste
Fuel or Fuel additive
Pyrolysis oil
PHA
10%
90%
30%
70%
Animal Fat Food oils
Biodiesel
methylated fatty acids + Glycerol
PHA
Opportunity roadmap Fuels and bioplastics
Opportunity roadmap Partners
Bioplastics development – Bioplastic processing (Ramesh Babu TCD)
Building strategic relationships – Agricultural produce (covering) – Plastic packaging – Starch based biopolymers – Biofuels – Fuel from waste
Opportunity roadmap Market
Innovation is about converting research into market reality not about performing novel science
What does the market want? “Stop selling what you have and start selling what they want” Hong Kong Airport
“Nobody has done this before” doesn’t interest the market ..... unless you can show the commercial benefits
Great scientific findings are not great business opportunities
Opportunity roadmap Flexibility
Bounce your ideas off others
Tear a good idea to pieces (& rebuild)
All opinions are not of equal value
Be flexible – Alter direction/Strategy
Nova UCD – Ciaran O Beirne, Claudia Wietek, Ciara Leonard (CCDP) Enterprise Ireland – Ruth McMahon Patent attorney
What is needed to get this to the next level? Can a company or a research lab build this technology?
Opportunity roadmap
Campus company development Find out what you are as a company/innovator Find out what you can do and can not What is your value proposition?
Bioplastech – 2008 UCD spin out
Do what you do best ‐ Research, technology development No man is an Island ‐ John Donne (1572‐1631).
Farm out for expertise Mark O Donovan – Raglan capital (Dublin) – corporate finance Enrico Altieri – Spain – business development, Scouting for opportunities
Promote your technology Industry conferences Press
Acknowledgments Acknowledgments
•University College Dublin
• Jasmina Nikodinovic
• Shane Kenny
• Miriam Goff
• Karen Tobin
• Patrick Ward
• Environmental Protection Agency Ireland
• Enterprise Ireland
• Nova UCD