An Overview of Biorefinery Waste for Microbial Production of Green Plastic in a Circular Economy§

Abstract

An increasing amount of plastics is being used due to the growing population. Plastic waste pollution has become a major problem, especially in the marine environment, due to the increasing global demand for plastic materials. Bioplastics produced from waste in biorefineries offer a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics by recycling materials that are normally thrown away in the food, farming and manufacturing industries. This technology tackles both the plastic waste crisis and the inefficient use of biomass. By recycling biorefinery waste into bioplastics, the impact on the environment can be reduced, waste minimised and less fossil fuel consumed. Improving material qualities, reducing production costs and optimising the efficiency and scalability of these processes are all ongoing challenges. This review focuses on waste biorefineries for bioplastic synthesis as a sustainable approach to the circular bioeconomy. It also provides a better understanding of environmental sustainability, societal well-being and technological advances in the utilisation of various biorefineries as different substrates and methods for bioplastic synthesis.

Alternate abstract:

S porastom svjetske populacije koriste se sve veće količine plastike. Onečišćenje plastikom postalo je ozbiljan problem, osobito u morskom okolišu, kao posljedica sve veće globalne potražnje za plastičnim materijalima. Bioplastika proizvedena iz otpada u biorafinerijama nudi održivu alternativu tradicionalnoj plastici, jer omogućuje recikliranje materijala koji se inače odbacuju u prehrambenoj, poljoprivrednoj i prerađivačkoj industriji. Ova tehnologija istodobno rješava problem zagađenja plastikom i neučinkovitog korištenja biomase. Recikliranjem otpada iz biorafinerija u bioplastiku može se smanjiti negativan utjecaj na okoliš, količina otpada i potrošnja fosilnih goriva. Unatoč tome, poboljšanje svojstava materijala, smanjenje troškova proizvodnje, te optimiranje učinkovitosti i mogućnost povećanja opsega proizvodnje i dalje predstavljaju izazove. Ovaj pregledni rad usmjeren je na biorafinerije otpada kao održiv pristup sintezi bioplastike u kontekstu kružnoga biogospodarstva. Također pridonosi boljem razumijevanju ekološke održivosti, dobrobiti društva i tehnološkog napretka, uporabom različitih vrsta biorafinerija, te supstrata i metoda za sintezu bioplastike.