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EUROSTARS-EUROSTARS

E!114505 CARBONOR: Ekstrahering og raffinering av polymerer fra norsk stortare til høy-verdi biotek produkter

Alternative title: E!114505 CARBONOR: Converting carbohydrate polymers from Nordic algal biomass into high-value biotech products

Awarded: NOK 4.1 mill.

Project Number:

317295

Project Period:

2020 - 2022

Funding received from:

Organisation:

Partner countries:

Laminaria hyperborea (Lh) is a unique plant that contains many interesting components, such as the polymers alginate and cellulose. They function as building blocks and keep the plant upright, same as they do for land plants, but with a few beneficial structural differences. The alginate from Lh has a higher share of guluronic acid in its structure compared to other species, which gives the polymer more of a 3D-structure. This structural composition is very beneficial within medicine, and alginate is, among other things, being tested for treatment of lung disease. The cellulose from Lh is also unique compared to other celluloses on the market. Cellulose is usually refined from trees, but this is a harsh process. In seaweed the cellulose exists in a purer form, making the refining gentler with a good quality of the product. The mechanical strength on cellulose refined from seaweed has given double values compared to cellulose from trees. Only bacteria are able to create cellulose of equal quality, but this is a costly process. In the CarboNor project, both crude alginate and refined cellulose have been manufactured and analysed, and development of these components to higher value product have been studied. Enzymatic hydrolysis of alginate to oligomers is tested and the activity of the enzyme is analysed. Fermentation of the cell line producing the enzyme has been upscaled from lab size to industrial scale. Further, the activity of the produced enzyme and the hydrolysis to oligomers has been verified. The refined cellulose has been further treated to nano cellulose. TEMPO-oxidisation and mechanical pre-treatment has been performed before fibrillation to cellulose nano fibrils. Crystallinity and water binding capacity is properties important for the product, which has been studied and optimised during the project. Through the project period, new contact with both customers and partners has been established. Dialogues with customers on both alginate and cellulose regarding specifications, characteristics and properties on the products has been discussed and identified. New partners makes the foundation for further development of products from alginate and cellulose in the upcoming time. Manufacturing lines for alginate and cellulose is being projected and manufacturing is planned for 2024.

Gjennom prosjektet har det blitt funnet at alginat kan depolymeriseres til oligomerer ved hjelp av enzymer til molekylstørrelse som er hensiktmessig i forhold til applikasjoner mot cystisk fibrose og potensielt kols. Bruk av enzymer til slike formål, sammenliknet med kjemisk modifikasjon, gir en mer spesifikk nedbrytning av molekylet samt mindre tap av produkt i prosessen. Bruk av enzymer til dette formålet er derfor gunstig. Prosjektet viser ved sammenlikning av produksjonsmetode for cellulose fra tare og fra tre at raffinering av cellulose fra tare er en mindre energikrevende prosess, med lavere forbruk av kjemikalier. Dette er svært gunstig med tanke på bærekraft og miljø, slik at produksjon av cellulose fra tare vil ha mindre CO2 avtrykk sammenliknet med produksjon fra tre. Generelt sett i prosjektet så produseres alginat og cellulose uten bruk av formaldehyd for fargefiksering, dette er veldig vanlig i industriell alginatproduksjon. Formaldehyd er et giftig og toksisk kjemikalie, som har negativ innvirkning på miljøet. Samt, ved å produsere flere produkter fra samme råstoff, som ikke er standarden i industrien i dag, så vil totalt karbon avtrykk og kostnader bli redusert. Prosjektet har vært vellykket med bakgrunn i benyttede produksjonsteknikker og redusert klimaavtrykk, som videre leder til en mer bærekraftig industri. Oppskalering og produksjon av nevnte produkter vil også gi mer behov for arbeidskraft og inntekter til lokalsamfunnet.

Alginor has developed a green process to produce a starting material (ASM) from the stipe of the kelp Laminaria hyperborea. The aim of the project is to exploit this process and the ASM as a source of alginate and cellulose to derive two high-value products, Ultra-G and Alga-C. KTH have developed processes to generate the molecular components of Ultra-G and Alga-C and demonstrated their properties in the laboratory. However, upscaling, commercial viability and materials design from these components requires optimisation and further evaluation. A third product potentially usable as a bioplastic precursor (Bio-P) is generated during the production of Ultra-G, but the focus will be the production and commercialisation of Ultra-G and Alga-C. The specific aims are to: • transfer existing lab-scale technologies to pilot-plant scale. To this end, sub-contracts will be made with Borregaard (Sarpsborg)/BioBase Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP Ghent) for access to heat regulated and agitated reactors and drying technologies mimicking industrial production, and with Nofima Biotep (Tromsø) for access to large-volume enzyme-based processes and technologies • assess the properties of the manufactured Ultra-G and Alga-C from selected design processes and compare with similar products on the market to benchmark the superior properties of the new products • test the developed processes at key customers facilities for qualification and feedback • develop new materials for the biopharmaceutical, biomedical and cosmetic sectors derived from Ultra-G and Alga-C and assess their structural and functional properties and • patent and commercialise these new materials The project will establish a commercially viable process for the industrial production of Ultra-G and Alga-C, and materials derived from these products for the biomedical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. New IP will be generated, and the data will inform an investment decision for commercialisation of Ultra-G and Alga-C.

Funding scheme:

EUROSTARS-EUROSTARS