Project
LWV23070 CATNIP: Circular Acid Tolerant Novel Ingredients for biodegradable Products
There is an increasing need in the agrifood industry to develop new and green modification technologies that enable the use agricultural side streams and surpluses in traditional and new expanding non-food applications.This need coincides with a societal need to transform our current linear economy to a circular economy, requiring the use of renewable feedstocks such as biomass. To prevent competition with food production, the use of nonfoodagro side streams and -residues is a prerequisite in such a circular economy.
However, being renewable is not enough: Increasing concerns about toxic reagents used during synthesis, salt/waste formation and emissions of persistent and accumulating chemicals and materials to the environment demand the development of not just (bio)renewable, but also (bio)degradable alternatives to current products. While biopolymers like starch and cellulose are both renewable and biodegradable in their native form, so called modified derivatives as can be found in adhesives, paper and board and cosmetics and detergent formulations, frequently lack sufficient biodegradability due to the specific chemical changes resulting from modification. Therefore, the use
of more biologically labile, and thereby reversible modification methods is currently developed for various applications. However, many of the above-mentioned formulations and products are produced, stored and
applied under conditions that require higher chemical and biological stability, especially with regard to acidity.
This project therefore aims to develop novel green modification methods for polysaccharides and carbohydrates, using safe modifying agents. This will generate more acid tolerant renewable products suitable for applications such as pulp and paper making and home & personal care products, while ensuring that the products have the required biodegradability at their end-of-life, preventing environmental persistence.