The escalating global concern regarding plastic waste accumulation and its detrimental environmental impact has driven the exploration of sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics. This study investigates the development of antimicrobial blends of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) derived from plastic waste and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHB), further enhanced with essential oils. The antimicrobial activity of the resulting BNC/PHB blends was tested in vitro against 

. The incorporation of essential oils, particularly cinnamon oil, significantly enhanced the antimicrobial properties of the BNC/PHB blends. The BNC with 5% PHB blend exhibited the highest antifungal inhibition against 

 at 90.25%. Additionally, blends with 2% and 10% PHB also showed antifungal activity, inhibiting 68% of 

 growth. These findings highlight the potential of incorporating essential oils into BNC/PHB blends to create effective antimicrobial materials. The study concludes that enhancing the antimicrobial properties of BNC/PHB significantly broadens its potential applications across various sectors, including wound dressings, nanofiltration masks, controlled-release fertilizers, and active packaging.

Development of Antimicrobial Blends of Bacteria Nanocellulose Derived from Plastic Waste and Polyhydroxybutyrate Enhanced with Essential Oils

 EcoPlastiC Steering Meeting (SM) took place on 29 November 2024 where the partners highlighted the latest updates and presented plans for 2025.

 is working on scaling up the process of PHA production to 10 L and after that AVE will scale up to 50 L. The microbiome developed in the 

 was selected for the scale up process due to its TPA removal efficiency, high volumetric productivity and good PHA content. The optimisation of PHA recovery included several strategies. When supercritical carbon-dioxide (sc-CO2) was employed (

), pre-treatment and extraction showed improved cell rupture and PHA recovery. Films made from this biomass exhibited flexibility and cohesiveness, which is a step forward for packaging applications. Enzymatic treatments were assessed at 

, where a successful extraction of PHB (60% biomass) and mcl-PHA (20% biomass) was observed. Astonishing 100 % recovery of PHB was achieved and about 50% of mcl-PHA recovery. Within the task on biopolymer characterization and processing (

), the film forming capacity of PHA-rich biomass was tested. These films were tested under varying temperature and pressure conditions. It was shown that temperatures below 130°C produced optimal results, preventing brittleness. Additionally, glycerol addition improved flexibility and reduced brittleness.

 is scaling up the YB423 sample biomass, currently, the process achieved 4.45 g/L of freeze-dried biomass. The next step will involve transitioning to a bioreactor with sufficient oxygen supply and after that the crude protein content in single-cell protein and biomass will be determined. Additionally, compression tests were conducted to produce PHA films using commercialized PHA pellets and compared them with the pure PHB-HV samples by NOVA, focusing on properties such as barrier performance, tensile strength and other mechanical characteristics. 

 are working on publications of the WP5 results concerning ecoplastic films.

 is preparing the EcoPlastiC Newsletter #3 for December 2024. You can read the previous issues 

 and subscribe to our mailing list at this 

. A new EcoPlastiC promotional video was prepared and will be included in the Newsletter #3. The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have improved between year 1 and year 2 of the project and the numbers keep going up in year 3.

Representatives from all partner institutions attended the SM:

 (Ireland) - Marija Mojicevic, Laura Rodriguez Barroso, Bor Shin Chee, Cuneyt Erdinct Tas, Buket Alkan Tas, Necdet Ozcelik, Eduardo Lanzagorta Garcia

 (Team Leader), Patricia Concordio dos Reis, Maria Nicolau Batista

 (Team Leader), Jelena Simic, Marijana Ponjavic

 (Team Leader), Kiran Reddy Baddigam, Anna Svagen Hanner

Regular EcoPlastiC SMs are organised each 2 months, to make sure this project moves forward according to plans.

Seventh EcoPlastiC Steering Meeting

Today's technology enables us to work remotely and collaborate internationally towards solving challenges and creating a better future together. Our EcoPlastiC project team is one where partners from five different countries join forces towards delivering the science behind a new technology of plastics. We rely heavily on remote means of communication and collaboration in our day to day work. However, we recognize the importance of meeting each other in person, networking and discussing our project.

Therefore, we are thrilled to announce our first general assembly meeting on 

, a technology centre with 30 years of experience in the plastics industry.

During this one-day event, each of the partners will present their work package (WP):

WP2 -  Green Depolymerisation & mixed PET waste Plastics (

WP3 -  Design and Optimisation of the AVE Microbiomes (

WP5 - Processing and packaging prototype (

WP6 - Dissemination, Exploitation & Communication (

The presentations will be followed by an open discussion and a summary of priority actions by the Project Coordinator (TUS).

As an added benefit of AIMPLAS as a venue for this event, we look forward to get acquainted with their multiple 

 pertinent to the field of circular plastics economy. 

First general assembly at AIMPLAS