ENZYCLE’ overall objective is to valorise and upgrading non-recycled plastic fractions through enzymatic processes to obtain high value-added products. For this, enzymes with a high hydrolytic activity on polyesters (PET) and on polyolefins (PE and PP) will be identified and selected in order to establish an efficient production process and developing recycling processes on plastic fractions that are currently not recycled. Additionally, ENZYCLE will deal with the problem with microplastics and their high environmental and health impact. Within ENZYCLE project, new processes for enzymatic recycling of multilayer packaging, post-consumer PET trays and clamshell and microplastics will be developed with the aim of enhancing the sustainability of these wastes, within a framework of circular economy, so as to save material and economic resources, creating new value chains by turning them into valuable products and closing the loop value chain by introducing the final obtained products back in the production process for plastic polymers.

BioSupPBioSupPack goal is to deliver novel, cost-competitive and versatile bio-based packaging solutions based on PHA, that demonstrate high-performance for the packaging of food, cosmetics, homecare and beverage products as well as no environmental damage during & after their use, by means of: 1. Optimization of PHA based formulations based on significantly use of >85% w/w of renewable resources. 2. Upscale the different conversion processes as well as post-consumers waste sorting & recycling following advanced industry 4.0 approach. 3. Broad the range of rigid packaging applications by tailoring biobased materials & packaging properties through the optimization of the formulations in combination with plasma technology or grafted coatings. 4. Integrate plasma technology in 3 different points of the value chain(biomasss pre-treatment, packaging production & packaging waste pre-treatment) increasing: i)PHB production yield, ii)PHB purity, iii) packaging performance(high oxygen & water barrier) and iv effectiveness & yield of enzymatic recycling. 5. Demonstrate and increase recyclability through:i) setting up a real-time monitoring system for the selective separation of developed packaging after its use; ii) mechanical recycling of industrial scraps and selective enzymatic recycling of packaging waste as the best EoL, with the final recovery of carbon sources for feedstock fermentation. Thus, the new packaging is environmentally safe(sustainable and improved value from enzymatic recycling) and contributes to Circular Economy(CE). 6. Establish a new value chain including the development of logistics and management of both the brewery and packaging waste. Complying with the industry needs (cost/performance competitive vs. fossil-based non-biodegradable counterparts and legislative compliance),as well as with consumers´ awareness, BioSupPack will have a great impact on EU bioplastics & end users’ sectors, the biorefineries and biotechnology industries and on the society.

MOEBIOS is an application of the circular (bio)economy concept: the development of three value chains incorporating separate recycling streams for bioplastics (BP’s) to improve waste management efficiency throughout Europe. It is a systemic innovation: it will create linkages addressed at the different key stages of the whole chains to solve a hierarchical challenge, from the collection of the bioplastic waste (simulated streams), up to the upcycling and validation of the final recycled end-products (holistic and coordinated solution). The new value chain will imply sorting, conditioning and valorising three types of waste streams from the packaging, agriculture and textile industries into three end-products, targeting to reach at least the same quality and functionality than the original grades, while the end users’ acceptance will be assessed as well. As cornerstone targets for maximizing project’s impact, the upscaling of the recycling processes will: (1) be integrated in pilot plants on the premises of actual industrial recycling lines currently operating in waste management companies, not disrupting them, and reaching a final TRL = 6/7 or even beyond. (2) focus on bioplastics for which recycling processes are still not in place, excluding bio-based analogues (“drop-ins”): PLA and PLA blends, PHA and its blends, PBS and PEF, accordingly with the market. The use of PBAT will be assessed as well. A Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) and a transdisciplinary methodology will engage waste producers, waste managers, bio-based and (bio)plastics industry, public authorities, standardization agencies, citizens and media multipliers, creating a co-creation and co-ownership innovation environment of + 50 participants.

RECOVER is a disruptive RIA proposal built upon the actual needs to solve the contamination of agro-fields with non-biodegradable agro-plastics as well as to improve municipal waste handling by decreasing drastically the packaging fraction going to unsustainable waste management routes. We intend to reach our ambitious objectives applying biotech solutions that will include symbiotic bioprocesses between previously reported high powered microorganisms through microbiotic systems vectored by several insect species. Indeed, one of the main innovations in our proposal is the combination of endogenous and exogenous microorganisms and their inoculation on insects. This will allow achieving higher levels of biodegradation and direct conversion (at the same time) of agri-food plastic wastes in insect by-products such as chitin, that can be converted in chitosan (high value as bioplastics raw materials and other interesting industrial applications due to anti-microbial activity) that will be used in active packaging, enhanced mulching films and biofertilizers applications. RECOVER will help providing novel biotechnological solutions applying microorganisms, enzymes and insects to degrade conventional plastic packaging and agricultural films waste streams but also result in new feedstocks for the bio-based industries. The process will be optimized and performed either ex-situ in composting reactors (preferred route for non-recyclable plastics from municipal solid waste or for agricultural films that can be collected easily) or in-situ in the case of bioremediating soil pollution, by e.g. mulching films, further contributing to the long-term removal of non-biodegradable polymers from the environment. In addition, RECOVER can solve the microplastics pollution at the level of both industrial composting and soil.

Chagas is a neglected disease endemic in 21 Latin-American countries caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is the largest parasitic disease burden in the Americas (>11,000,000 chronic infections) and the first cause of cardiac morbidity in poor rural/suburban areas. It became a worldwide concern as a result of mass migration with reports in 19 non-endemic areas (>1.3 million carriers in EU/USA). Treatment is difficult since acute infections have mild symptoms and remain largely unnoticed evolving to chronicity. Drug therapy is also long, often associated with side effects (10-30% interruption) and only active during early infection. The main objective of CRUZIVAX is to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical development by performing preclinical and clinical phase 1 studies of a needle-free vaccine against T. cruzi with proven efficacy in preclinical models. The vaccine is based on a structure-engineered trivalent chimeric antigen lacking immune decoy sequences and an adjuvant promoting self-limited locally-restricted immune activation stimulating humoral and cellular immunity, which is expected to protect as prophylactic or therapeutic (combined with Benznidazole) vaccine. To achieve this CRUZIVAX will: (i) conduct preclinical studies in mice to assess immunogenicity and efficacy of different vaccine formulations in prophylactic and therapeutic settings, (ii) analyse the immunogenicity and efficacy of the best vaccine formulation in dogs and non-human primates, (iii) produce cGMP antigen and adjuvant by cost-efficient manufacturing (facilitated uptake by health systems with limited resources), (iv) perform a preclinical safety assessment of the vaccine, (v) conduct a phase 1 vaccine clinical trial in healthy volunteers, and (vi) carry out a health economics analysis to identify critical target-product profile parameters. The vaccine will strengthen the pipeline of products for Chagas disease, aimed at reducing disease burden and its social and economic impact.