PERCAL

Chemical building blocks from versatile MSW biorefinery

Project details

Type of project: Research & Innovation Action
Project focus: Bio-based chemicals
Feedstock origin: Organic waste
Feedstock type: Organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Project period: 1 July 2017 - 31 December 2020
Status: Completed
CBE JU Contribution: € 2 518 517,64
Call identifier: H2020-BBI-JTI-2016

Summary

PERCAL will use Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) as a feedstock for developing intermediate chemical products, producing high yield with high purity, making it attractive for industry. These will be complementary to the bioethanol (existing PERSEO Bioethanol® technology), thus creating a cascade of valorisation from the MSW components.

PERCAL aims to produce three main compounds. Lactic acid, which can be used to make eco-friendly ethyl lactate. This can be used in cleaning products, in ink and for hot-melt adhesives for cardboard; succinic acid, as an intermediate building blocks for the production of polyols for the polyurethane industry as well as biosurfactants from the remaining fraction of the MSW fermentation.

The project should lead to four main innovations; new enzymatic cocktails to maximize hydrolysis of fermentable organic matter with low inhibitors production; high yield, specific and robust strains for each selected acid; extraction of fermentation by-products acting as inhibitors to succinic acid production via novel membrane electrolysis and optimised simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for lactic acid production followed by a downstream separation process. These should minimise issues of heterogeneous MSW composition.

Consortium map

Project coordination

INDUSTRIAS MECANICAS ALCUDIA SL L Alcudia, Spain

Consortium

YPAREX BV Enschede, Netherlands
COVESTRO DEUTSCHLAND AG LEVERKUSEN, Germany
UNIVERSITEIT GENT GENT, Belgium
AIMPLAS - ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS Paterna, Spain
INEUVO LTD LICHFIELD, United Kingdom
HAYAT KIMYA SANAYI ANONIM SIRKETI Istanbul, Türkiye
GEOPONIKO PANEPISTIMION ATHINON ATHINA, Greece
LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR AGRARTECHNIK UND BIOOKONOMIE EV POTSDAM, Germany
FUNDACION CENER SARRIGUREN, Spain
TBW RESEARCH GESMBH WIEN, Austria
PERSEO BIOTECHNOLOGY S.L. L'ALCUDIA, Spain
IRIS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, SOCIEDAD LIMITADA CORNELLA DE LLOBREGAT, Spain