AIMPLAS project assesses cultivation of biobased feedstocks on marginal land

In Europe, a multi-institute project evaluating the use of marginal land to cultivate trees and shrubs for use as feedstocks for bioplastics, biochar, and pet litter has achieved “promising results.”

The group assessed growth of Siberian elm, common juniper, hoary rock-rose, rosemary, birch, common broom, blackwood acacia, mora, common hornbeam and black poplar across six locations in Germany, Spain and Romania.

The project, which includes AIMPLAS and Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, identified six promising species for producing lactic acid for bioactive cosmetics applications. It also found Siberian elm to be appropriate for biochar and activated carbon. Birch, rosemary and Siberian elm were also identified as good candidates for pet litter.

The next phase of the project will assess the identified species for scale-up.