ACTPAC Virtual Kick-off Meeting – January 15th, 2024
The ACTPAC kick-off meeting has successfully taken place in a virtual setting on the 15th of January 2024. During the meeting, the partners introduced themselves, their expertise as well as their individual work packages.
The Project
ACTPAC is committed to tackling the plastic pollution that threatens our environment and ecosystem. The project aims to develop a complete industry-viable path to convert Polyethylene (PE) firstly into high-value chemicals and finally into PE-like but fully biodegradable polyesters. PE is the most widely used plastic, but it is often categorized as non-degradable and is disposed of by incineration or landfill.
ACTPAC will create new catalysts and modes for deconstruction of PE into value-added chemicals. The value-added chemicals will then be used for the synthesis of novel biodegradable polyesters. A zero-waste solution to the plastic waste management is thus created by keeping plastics out of the environment and reclaiming their values.
The new polyesters produced from upcycling of PE waste will offer novel business opportunities for SMEs by scalable, flexible and robust multi-product manufacturing processes for on-demand and small-volume output production.
The Consortium
The ACTPAC consortium consists of eleven partners from eight EU and associated countries (Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Türkiye, Austria), who will combine their expertise in enzymatic and chemical methods, polymer science, catalysis science, chemical and process engineering, metabolic and protein engineering, prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems as well as communication, dissemination, and exploitation. The multidisciplinary approach of the project will ensure that new, innovative, zero-pollution solutions to the challenge of plastic pollution can be developed.
Keywords
Polyethylen, PE, polyester, biodegradable, plastic pollution, environment, ecosystem, chemistry, biotechnology, catalysts, engineering, science, biotechnology
