The bioeconomy is a hot topic these days, right up at the top of policy agendas. It involves using renewable natural resources as a raw material. The circular bioeconomy introduces circularity into this concept: using what would otherwise be thrown away, using spent biological resources to regenerate ecosystems and minimising waste.

The ECESP website has a good selection of circular bioeconomy-themed content. This series will shine a spotlight on it.

Circular bioeconomy concept: bioplastics from spent brewers' grain

POLYMEER project: transforming brewers' waste into bioplastics

Currently, bioplastics represent only 1.5% of global plastic production, with projected growth insufficient to meet market needs. Brewers’ spent grain is a byproduct of the brewing industry. It is rich in fibre and protein but is mostly used as low-value animal feed or discarded in landfills. It has potential as feedstock for bioplastics, but current applications are limited by poor mechanical properties and lack of scalability.

The four-year Horizon Europe POLYMEER project aims to establish a sustainable bio-based value chain for bioplastic products. By efficiently converting wet brewers’ spent grain into high added value materials, the project seeks to diversify the array of innovative material solutions capable of replacing traditional plastics.

POLYMEER aims to develop new bio-based polymers, copolymers and polymer blends based on brewers’ spent grain. The project will exploit green, waste-minimised processes, expanding innovative alternatives to traditional plastics. The materials will meet a specific set of properties for three targeted applications: mulch films suitable for agricultural use, textiles for the automotive industry, and tertiary packaging films for industrial purposes. All products will be designed to be recycled and/or biodegraded in specific environments.

The project will focus on optimising the conversion of brewers’ spent grain into bio-based building blocks, creating high-performance bioplastics that can compete with conventional materials.