On September 13-15, 2023, Chiara Siracusa from ACIB GmbH – Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, presented the UPLIFT project during the 11th European Symposium of Biopolymers in Brno, Czech Republic.

There, Chiara participated in an oral presentation in the framework of enzyme based hydrolysis for specific recovery of novel poly(lactic acid)-poly(1,5-pentanediol 2,5-furanoate) blends building blocks.

The main objective of the presentation was to discuss the use of polymer blending, specifically involving 2,5 furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), to create more sustainable plastics for packaging.  The study focused on blending FDCA-based poly(pentamethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PPeF) with biobased Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to improve their properties. The research also explored enzymatic hydrolysis using Thermobifida cellulositilytica (Thc_Cut1) cutinase to separate the components and recover FDCA monomer, demonstrating the potential for a circular approach in the production and processing of these new FDCA-based formulations.

The main objective of the European Symposium of Biopolymers is to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange among researchers and industry professionals in the field of biopolymers to advance sustainable and environmentally friendly materials and applications.