Fibre Save

Turning waste fibres into sustainable biobased plastics

The Flemish – Dutch border region is a frontrunner in the biobased economy and green chemistry. Fibre Save aims to further strengthen this regional leadership by upgrading paper and cardboard waste into PHB, a biobased plastic, using innovative fermentation technologies. Within Fibre Save’s professional network, the project partners will apply their specialized expertise to develop and test PHB prototypes and products for multiple sectors, using a range of production techniques.

Did you know…

• Over 1 million tons of waste are incinerated each year in Flanders and the Netherlands?
  Even though the European Green Deal and national policies emphasize waste reduction and smarter use of raw materials…
• The demand for fossil-free plastics is on the rise?
• Microplastic pollution poses a serious environmental threat?
• Innovative technologies for producing new plastics often get stuck in the lab stage?
  Demonstration, scale-up and validation are essential to achieve market breakthroughs.

Fibre Save provides solutions!

• Fibre Save aims to upcycle low-grade paper and cardboard waste streams into high-quality, biobased plastics.
• The project will demonstrate that PHB production is technically, economically, and ecologically feasible for various applications.
• Fibre Save supports the development of an innovative, cross-border value chain.
• It contributes to the transition towards a circular economy, with lower CO₂ emissions, fossil-free materials, and high-value recycling.

Thanks to a value-chain approach and a multidisciplinary project team.

• Waste as feedstock: Renewi and VPK Paper supply various types of paper and cardboard waste.
• Fermentation and scale-up: At the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP), microorganisms convert the sugar-rich waste into PHB and its variants. Lab-scale technologies are scaled up to semi-industrial processes.
• Application and validation: MNEXT develops and tests PHB prototypes using various production methods and across several sectors. Ghent University also explores the biomedical potential of PHB as a proof of concept.
• Market and environmental assessment: POM East Flanders evaluates the economic feasibility of the entire value chain and conducts a LCA hotspot analysis to assess environmental impact.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement: Pack4Food facilitates dialogue with companies. Broad communication efforts and events actively engage businesses across the value chain and beyond.

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ACTIVITIES of the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant

BBEPP will develop and scale the pre-treatment and fermentation technologies to produce PHB from the fibre wastes up to semi-industrial scale.   

PARTNERS

Fibre Save brings together a broad cross-border partnership of research institutions and companies to build a new value chain for biobased plastics.
This partnership covers the entire chain from input to output and focuses on testing bio-based plastic applications in a range of sectors, such as the medical, food and packaging sectors and agri- or horticulture. In addition, all partners actively engage with companies across the value chain.

• On the input side: Renewi supplies paper and cardboard waste for hydrolysis and explores the potential of other low-value waste streams. VPK Paper provides a residual stream that is currently incinerated for conversion into biobased plastics.
• On the processing side: the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) handles the pretreatment and fermentation of fibres and works on optimizing existing technologies for producing PHB biobased plastics.
• On the output side: MNEXT, a centre of expertise within Avans University of Applied Sciences, develops and tests bio-based plastic prototypes. Pack4Food connects companies from the packaging and food industries to help bring bio-based plastics to market and explore new applications. The Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group at Ghent University investigates the potential of PHB for biomedical applications.

The Provincial Development Agency of East Flanders (POM Oost-Vlaanderen) coordinates the project and studies its economic feasibility.

SUPPORTED by 

This Project involves an investment of over 1.9 million euro of which 50% originates from the European Regional Development Fund (Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling, EFRO) via the cross-border cooperation programme Interreg VI Vlaanderen-Nederland.