In Italy, a project to convert brewers’ waste into high-value bioplastics has begun its work. Funded by the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking HORIZON program, the POLYMEER initiative aims to valorize brewers’ spent grain, a brewery waste rich in fiber and protein, into new biobased polymers, copolymers and polymer blends for agriculture films, automotive industry textiles, and tertiary packaging films for industrial purposes.
Currently most brewers’ spent grains is used as low-value animal feed or discarded in landfills.
Università degli Studi di Perugia will lead the POLYMEER effort, which is expected to take 48 months. Other participants include Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Next Technology Tecnotessile –NTT, Birra Peroni, Bio-Base Europe Pilot Plant, Zabala Brussels, Normec OWS, Lomartov, AIMPLAS, Bio-mi, Universiteit Twente, Borgstena, and Gate2Growth.