From algae to thread: A deep dive into a circular textile industry

Plastic is one of the most visibly polluting elements in our environment. From big plastic accumulation zones at sea to microplastic entering our everyday drinking water, plastic is becoming a more evident pollutant every day, which is damaging ecosystems, marine life and human health.<br/>This paper will envision a possible solution for plastic...

Conceptual system for sustainable and next-generation wastewater resource recovery facilities

Shifting the concept of municipal wastewater treatment to recover resources is one of the key factors contributing to a sustainable society. A novel concept based on research is proposed to recover four main bio-based products from municipal wastewater while reaching the necessary regulatory standards. The main resource recovery units of the...

Visualization of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Accumulated in Waste Activated Sludge

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) can be produced with municipal waste activated sludge from biological wastewater treatment processes. Methods of selective fluorescent staining with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were developed and optimized to evaluate the distribution of PHA storage activity in this mixed culture activated sludge...

Polyhydroxyalkanoate production by municipal waste activated sludge: Tackling scaling-up process challenges

Microbes are the gears that sustain all forms of life in planet Earth and are expected to become key players in the transition towards a more sustainable society. In this thesis, microbes from sewage sludge are used for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates, biodegradable polymers that have the potential to replace<br/>many of the petroleum...

PHA biosynthesis, recovery, and application: A circular value chain for production of self-healing concrete from waste

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a family of biopolymers produced intracellular<br/>by a range of different bacteria.PHA have attracted widespread attention as<br/>an environmental friendly replacement of fossil-based polymers, because they<br/>have thermoplastic and/or elastomeric properties, and are also biobased and<br/>biodegradable.Moreover,...

Process conditions affect properties and outcomes of polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation in municipal activated sludge

The developments of mixed culture polyhydroxyalkanoate production has been directed to maximize the biomass PHA content with limited attention to polymer quality. Direct comparison of PHA accumulation literature is challenging, and even regularly contradicting in reported results, due to underlying differences that are not well expressed. A...

The artificial carbon sink: Using products to fight climate change

This project considers the implications of carbon-negative materials in product design. It speculates on a future where decarbonization of different sectors of the economy increases the ubiquity of carbon-negative materials. Under these conditions, certain materials become a source of negative emissions, and their consumption benefits the planet...

Screening for methane utilizing mixed communities with high polyhydroxybutyrate (Phb) production capacity using different design approaches

With the adverse environmental ramifications of the use of petroleum-based plastic out-weighing the challenges facing the industrialization of bioplastics, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymer has gained broad interest in recent years. Thus, an efficient approach for maximizing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) polymer production in methanotrophic...

3D Printing with Bioplastics

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is undergoing a radical evolution. AM businesses such as Ultimaker (UM) are speeding up industrial production through digital design and local manufacturing to enable industries to produce “what they need, where they need it, and when they need it” (“Ultimaker”, 2019), while also being cost-effective. AM is perceived...

Integrating Value Considerations in the Decision Making for the Design of Biorefineries

Biobased production has been promoted as a sustainable alternative to fossil resources. However, controversies over its impact on sustainability highlight societal concerns, value tensions and uncertainties that have not been taken into account during its development. In this work, the consideration of stakeholders’ values in a biorefinery...

Bio-based FRP structures: A pedestrian bridge in Schiphol Logistics Park

Conventional composite plastics that are widely used in the building industry, are becoming more and more criticized in regards with their unsustainable petrochemical resources and their increased embodied energy. Under the global environmental awareness of the recent years, new polymeric materials based on renewable natural resources have...

Biopolymer Production by Bacterial Enrichment Cultures Using Non-Fermented Substrates

Polyhydroxyalkanotes (PHAs) are naturally occurring polymers synthesized by a wide range of microorganisms. Their physiological role is to act as carbon and energy reserves, and their mechanical and physical properties are similar to those of petrochemical plastics. PHAs can be synthesized from renewable materials and they are biodegradable....

Changing the perception of bioplastics

Bioplastics change the way plastics are made because they are manufactured from plants like corn and sugar instead of oil. This has many environmental advantages and in the future also financial advantages. Bioplastics are rapidly being developed and applied in various kinds of products. The challenge of this thesis was to understand bioplastics...

Microbial community engineering for biopolymer production from glycerol

In this work, the potential of using microbial community engineering for production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from glycerol was explored. Crude glycerol is a by-product of the biofuel (biodiesel and bioethanol) industry and potentially a good substrate for bioplastic production. A PHA-producing microbial community was enriched based on...

PHA Production in Aerobic Mixed Microbial Cultures

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a common intracellular energy and carbon storage material in bacteria, which is considered as a bioplastic due to its plastic like properties. PHAs are versatile materials which are biodegradable and made from renewable resources. Commercial production of PHAs is currently based on pure culture processes employing...