Did you know that bacteria can produce bioplastics? – Final outreach activities of the Polish bioeconomy hub
On 11th of September Copernicus Science Centre organized an event regarding general bioeconomy issues. It was presented in the form of Gallery Walk in exhibition spaces of CSC. We learnt and discussed about: climate change and its consequences regarding to bioeconomy; sustainable development and its goals, examples of circular economy, sharing economy, bioeconomy, 3R (reduce, recycle, reuse); types of biomass and its value pyramid; examples of bioeconomy products; bioplastics and biogas production from animal manure. The big hit were the products from the BLOOM suitcase!
University of Agriculture in Cracow and the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw organized a conference on „Bioeconomy – institutional and production aspects“. The conference was held online from 21st to 25th of September. After a week of online presentations (you can watch the videos here) – on 25th of September we closed it with discussion with experts and questions from the general public. The most raised issues during conference were: institutional conditions of bioeconomy; bioeconomy in the context of the circular economy and a tool od sustainable development; bioenergy and biofuels (institutional and technological aspects); biomass – meaning, definition and consequences.
On 18th of November, CSC organized an international webinar in English where the potential of bioplastics and their usage in medical usage or new packaging alternatives were explained. Firstly, bacterial polymers (PHA) have many applications in medicine: these biodegradable and biocompatible polymers prove to be excellent materials for the construction of implants, patches, tissue scaffolds and other medical devices that come into direct contact with the body. They can also serve as a platform for the release of bioactive substances locally, and thus relieve the negative effects of systemic drug administration.
Secondly, the material can be used for packaging applications: active and intelligent biodegradable packaging based on furcelleran, obtained from Furcelleria lumbricalis red algae. The current research on the impact of this type of packaging on the quality and durability of stored food products will be presented and we’ll talk about micro- and nanocapsules based on furcelleran, which have recently become an interesting carrier of active substances.
