RES URBIS

Imatge del projecte
Technical details
Budget:
€ 3,046,656.25, with a 60% financing (€ 2,996,688.75)
Financing:
  • The AMB will administer € 75,250 with a 99% cofinancing (€ 74,625)

Status:
In progress

Description

The RES URBIS project (Resources from Urban Bio-waste) is financed by the European Union within the framework of the Horizon 2020 project, which through investigation and development seeks to reduce to a minimum the amount of waste to the controlled dump and obtain new bioproducts –more environmentally friendly –using the same waste as a renewable alternative to oil resources.

The mail goal of RES URBIS is to develop an innovative technological sector for the integrated treatment of several types of urban organic waste in order to obtain bioplastics. These technologies will allow the transformation of the large amount of organic matter that cities generate into useful products with a high market value and a positive impact on the environment, the economy and green occupation.

This goal will be achieved by collecting and analysing data on the production of urban biowaste, its characteristics and the current management systems in four selected territorial clusters (metropolitan area of Barcelona, metropolitan area of Lisbon, Trento Province and South Wales). The biowaste used is the excess sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants, the municipal organic fraction separated at source and waste from parks and gardens.

The project is focused on the obtention of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a linear polyester generated from the volatile fatty acids that occur as a result of the decomposition of organic waste. By obtaining PHA, RES URBIS produces PHA-based bioplastics, biosolvents and biodegradable fibres in order to develop other biocomposites.

The bioplastics obtained though this project will be used as packaging material, biodegradable plastic bags and durable consumer goods such as electronic devices. Another use of the produced bioplastic is within the framework of environmental remediation, with the production of controlled carbon release material to clean contaminated groundwater.