Splash

Sustainable PoLymers from Algae Sugars and Hydrocarbons

Term

September 1^st, 2012 – August 31^st, 2016

Project

Two bioproduction platforms will be explored:

• The green algae Botryococcus braunii, and
• The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, to which the unique hydrocarbon and polysaccharides producing genes from Botryococcus will be transferred.

SPLASH will deliver knowledge, tools and technologies needed for the establishment of a new industry sector: Industrial Biotechnology with algae and/or algal genes for the manufacture of polyesters and polyolefins. The building blocks for these polymers will be derived from the sugars (polyesters) and hydrocarbons (polyolefins) exuded by the algae: adipic acid from galactose, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid from glucose, rhamnose and fucose, 1,4-pentanediol from rhamnose and fucose, ethylene from ‘green naphtha’, propylene from ‘green naphtha’. The conversion of ethylene and propylene to polyolefins is common technology, and will not be included in the project. The sugar-derived building blocks will be converted to new condensation polymers, including poly(ethylene 2,5-furandioate) (PEF) and poly(1,4-pentylene adipate-co-2,5-furandioate).

End-use applications include food packaging materials and fibers for yarns, ropes and nets. The project encompasses the following four aspects:

• Development of Botryococcus as an industrial production platform
• Systems biology analysis
• Development of procedures for production, in situ extraction and isolation, and
• Product development

Coordinator

Wageningen University (The Netherlands)

Partners

Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (Greece), The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge (UK), Fraunhofer (Germany), University of Huelva (Spain), EGE University (Turkey), University of Munster (Germany), University of Bielrfeld (Germany), Nova Institute (Germany), PNO Consultants (The Netherlands), Lankhorst Euronete (Portugal), Rhodia Operations (France), Paques (The Netherlands), Biotopic (Denmark), Value for Technology (Belgium), Avantium Chemicals (The Netherlands), Lifeglimmer (Germany), Pursuit Dynamics (UK) and OWS (Belgium).

OWS’ tasks

LCA analysis

Links

• www.eu-splash.eu