RUBBIO

Biosynthesis of rubber from biobased sources

Project details

Type of project
Research & Innovation Action
Feedstock origin
Agri-food waste
Feedstock type
Food industry sidestreams
Project period
1 May 2026 - 30 April 2030
Status
In progress
CBE JU Contribution
€ 3 597 611,92
Call identifier
HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025

Summary

Rubber, a polymer with a broad range of applications across industrial sectors, reached 28.8 million metric tonnes of global consumption in 2023 and is expected to continue growing in the coming years. The current EU market relies primarily on natural rubber (polyisoprene) from Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree plantations and on fossil-based synthetic alternatives imported from the United States and China, underscoring the need for more sustainable, local and diversified solutions. 

RUBBIO will address this challenge by developing sustainable, scalable, and high-performance rubber materials through the synthesis of key intermediates (2,3-butanediol and propionic acid), monomers (1,3-butadiene, acrylonitrile, and styrene), and rubber types (polybutadiene rubber - PB, SBR, NBR) from starch-rich food waste, which serves as a source of sugars for microbial fermentation.  

Using biomanufacturing approaches and chemical engineering principles in an integrated manner, the project targets the decarbonisation of synthetic rubber use sectors and reduces the EU’s strategic dependence on imported natural rubber. 

  • Develop evolutionary and rational engineering approaches for improved production of platform chemicals. 
  • Optimise hydrolytic and processing methods to obtain fermentable sugars from starch waste. 
  • Optimise bioprocesses to produce 2,3-butanediol, propionic acid, and styrene from starch waste. 
  • Establish advanced, cost-effective, and efficient downstream processing methods for the separation and purification of platform chemicals from fermentation broth. 
  • Convert bio-based 2,3-butanediol and propionic acid into 1,3-butadiene and acrylonitrile. 
  • Transform the bio-based monomers into three different rubbers (polybutadiene, nitrile butadiene rubber, and styrene butadiene rubber). 
  • Validate rubber production in consumer products of commercial significance.  
  • Ensure sustainability of the overall process for bio-based rubber synthesis. 
  • Share knowledge with the wider scientific and non-scientific community, bridging regulatory gaps and promoting sustainability and decarbonisation of the global rubber market. 

  • Enable over 95% efficient conversion of starch feedstock into fermentable syrup, creating a marketable product with an expected selling price of €400–600 per tonne. 
  • Reduce carbon emissions by 41% in butanediol production compared to fossil-based methods, or 82–89% when biogenic emissions are excluded from total CO₂ emissions. 
  • Lower the carbon footprint of propionic acid (PA) production to below 2 kg CO₂, representing a 35% reduction, by avoiding energy-intensive evaporation processes, recycling extractants, reducing media requirements through immobilised cells, and increasing volumetric productivity using high-rate fermenters. 
  • Reduce the cost of bio-based propionic acid by approximately 35%, decreasing production costs from €1.25 - 1.70 per kg towards the petrochemical price of €0.85 per kg. 
  • Establish a reliable industrial feedstock supply, securing over 1,500 tonnes of bread and potato waste per week, demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale food-waste transformation. 
  • Reduce pressure on natural rubber supply chains, lowering dependency on extensive rubber tree use through the development of alternative bio-based rubber materials. 
  • Develop three new value chains based on food waste, creating a replicable model that can unlock local bioeconomy potential across the EU. 
  • Support job creation in the green technology sector and contribute to increasing public acceptance of bio-based products. 

 

Consortium map

Project coordination

  • FUNDACION AITIIP ZARAGOZA, Spain

Consortium

  • FUNDACION TEKNIKER Eibar Guipuzcoa, Spain
  • ASOCIACION PARA LA PROMOCION, INVESTIGACION, DESARROLLO E INNOVACION TECNOLOGICA DE LA INDUSTRIA DEL CALZADO Y CONEXAS DE LA RIOJA Arnedo, Spain
  • ARTIGO S.P.A. CAIRO MONTENOTTE, Italy
  • SIEC BADAWCZA LUKASIEWICZ - INSTYTUT CHEMII SUROWCOW ODNAWIALNYCH KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE, Poland
  • C-SOURCE RENEWABLES LIMITED EDINBURGH, United Kingdom
  • CENTRUM TRANSFERU TECHNOLOGII - INNOVATIONS SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIA LATCHORZEW, Poland
  • CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY Cranfield - Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
  • CELIGNIS LIMITED Limerick, Ireland
  • KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN LEUVEN, Belgium
  • NUEVAS TECNOLOGIAS PARA EL DESARROLLO DE PACKAGING Y PRODUCTOS AGROALIMENTARIOS CON COMPONENTE PLASTICA SL Zaragoza, Spain
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH Edinburgh, United Kingdom