VEnvirotech uses innovative biotechnology to create biodegradable and biocompatible bioplastics using biological materials.
The company has a patented technology to produce bioplastics from organic waste that has been developed for both pilot and large-scale production.
Over the years, we have developed technologies to track waste pollution from different sources and validated methods to convert these wastes into bioplastics with competitive value.
In VEnvirotech’s bioplastic formulation designed for 3D printing, injection molding, and flexible film technologies, at least 30% upcycled natural fibers and/or minerals are used as reinforcements or fillers.
This way, our bioplastic products cover the major transformation techniques commonly used in the plastic industry today.
In addition to partnering with manufacturers of bioplastic consumer products, VEnvirotech currently sources organic waste from three major industries. These are:
The food processing industry generates around 1.6 billion tonnes of primary food-equivalent products as waste. Approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of this are edible food waste.
Around 250 cubic kilometers of water are required to produce this amount of wasted food.
On average, the world generates around 23.7 million tonnes of food per day from agriculture. An estimated 998 million tonnes of agricultural waste are generated annually as a result.
Venvirotech aims to ensure that the resources invested in producing this wasted food are recovered in the form of useful products.
Agricultural waste includes shells, husks, peels, stems, and other parts of plants that are not used as food but are produced alongside the edible part.
For example, VEOfiber inject – Ecoeggshell and EcoOystershell are produced from the upcycling of peeled eggshells and oyster shells.
The raw materials from the food and agricultural industry are processed into final products such as sauces, snacks, and beer.
The waste generated in the process of converting food raw materials into processed food can include beer spent grains, peels, and skins of the raw materials.
For example, in grain processing to produce beer, around 85% of the solid waste generated is brewer’s spent grain or beer bagasse.
VEnvirotech’s VEOfiber Ecopotatopeel bioplastic range, for instance, incorporates potato peels from chip or other potato-based product processing. The VEOfiber Inject Ecobeerbaggasse is a bioplastic formulation that incorporates beer spent grains.
For each goat or sheep slaughtered, approximately 2.5 kg of waste is generated. In the case of cattle, this amounts to around 275 kg per ton of live animal weight.
The FAO classifies the waste generated by slaughterhouses into 5 main categories:
VEnvirotech converts waste, such as hair, bones, and feathers, from meat and slaughterhouses into natural reinforcements and fillers that are then used in the production of bioplastics.
Obtaining waste from producers helps to track the source and ensures that organic waste is obtained in good condition and avoids being disposed of in landfills.
Bioplastics and even conventional plastics are often limited in their performance and processability due to inherent factors in their chemistry. With any given plastic, only so much can be achieved in terms of performance and processing. Therefore, to expand the possibilities with any given plastic, compounds are created. Conventional fillers and reinforcements such as talc, calcium carbonate, and fiberglass or carbon have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, more sustainable ways to improve the properties of bioplastics must be sought.
Building on these principles, VEnvirotech creates compounds using natural fibers and mineral wastes. The concentration and type of valorized waste can be used to adjust, among others:
VEnvirotech has achieved bioplastics with diverse specifications by varying the bioplastic formulation using different contents of valorized natural fibers and minerals.
VEnvirotech was founded with the aim of producing bioplastics from organic waste using bacteria to achieve social, economic, and environmental benefits. Since its founding, VEnvirotech has received support and funding from investors with an aligned goal of making the world a better place. The core of our activities is the use of biotechnology to obtain products that are:
Biodegradable plastics offer the promise of a circular economy for plastics. VEnvirotech’s technology extends this even further to sustainable resource management by adding value to waste.
Through the three main categories of industry from which VEnvirotech obtains organic waste, a diverse selection of natural fibers and revalued minerals has been created to achieve various bioplastic specifications.
The natural fibers and minerals used as reinforcements and fillers in our bioplastics have been treated with the aim of providing properties similar to formulations based on conventional materials, but significantly reducing environmental impact.
With expert knowledge of the materials’ properties and the biochemistry of each organic waste, VEnvirotech has been able to design the properties of these biomaterials and achieve bioplastic formulations for specific applications.
VEnvirotech has treated more than 85 validated organic wastes to create 8 different ranges of bioplastic formulations that incorporate natural fibers and/or minerals from organic waste. These include:
In addition to the existing formulations, VEnvirotech offers customers the option to customize bioplastic formulations to meet even more specific requirements of their application.
Two ways in which VEnvirotech carries out the valorization of fibers and minerals from organic waste are by using them as:
PHA, one of our base bioplastics, is produced with the help of bacteria. Bacteria metabolize organic substrates to produce PHA as a byproduct.
Organic waste can range from food scraps to brewery waste.
When waste is untreated, bacteria use a lot of time and energy to break down the complex materials in the waste into simpler and digestible forms.
This means that a lot of time and resources are spent producing unwanted chemicals that could result in more impurities in bioplastics.
VEnvirotech has developed a process to convert these organic wastes into volatile fatty acids (VFA). This makes the process of producing bioplastics from waste faster and more efficient.
Specially selected bioplastic-producing bacteria can direct all their metabolism towards the production of the required byproduct, the bioplastic.
Another way in which VEnvirotech adds value to organic waste is by converting them into fibers and minerals for bioplastic formulations.
These achieve multifaceted objectives of improving biodegradability, mechanical properties, processability, among many other properties.
Organic waste obtained from various sources are processed according to their characteristics to obtain natural fibers and/or minerals.
The fibers and minerals are processed to obtain size, morphology, and compatibility with bioplastic, properties that will be modified according to the final application.
VEnvirotech’s bioplastic formulations contain up to 30% fibers and/or minerals.
The use of revalued fibers and minerals for bioplastics means bioplastics that do not require additional land and water to grow raw materials for bioplastic production. In this way, VEnvirotech’s bioplastics contribute to addressing the global waste reduction.
Conventional fibers and minerals such as carbon fiber and calcium carbonate require the extraction of resources from the natural environment and/or the additional use of non-renewable energy and resources.
VEnvirotech bioplastics can be adapted to industrial or home composting depending on processing and application requirements.
VEnvirotech applies innovative biotechnology to harness naturally existing resources, diverting them from waste streams towards bioplastics with applications ranging from wrapping films to biomedicine and beyond.
Beyond the products available in our catalog, VEnvirotech can produce fibers and minerals from organic waste to meet various specifications.
We assist customers in their waste management by reusing organic waste from the production process into fibers and minerals.
Contact the VEnvirotech team of experts to discuss your specific need.
