The Food-Materials Nexus: Next Generation Bioplastics and Advanced Materials from Agri-Food Residues

Author(s)

Otoni, Caio G. ^[1] ; Azeredo, Henriette M. C. ^{[2, 3]} ; Mattos, Bruno D. ^[4] ; Beaumont, Marco ^[5] ; Correa, Daniel S. ^[3] ; Rojas, Orlando J. ^{[4, 6, 7]}

Affiliation

^[1] Fed Univ Sao Carlos UFSCar, Dept Mat Engn DEMa, Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Embrapa Agroind Trop, Rua Dra Sara Mesquita 2270, BR-60511110 Fortaleza, CE - Brazil

^[3] Embrapa Instrumentacao, Nanotechnol Natl Lab Agr LNNA, Rua XV Novembro 1452, BR-13560970 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[4] Aalto Univ, Sch Chem Engn, Dept Bioprod & Biosyst, POB 16300, FIN-00076 Espoo - Finland

^[5] Univ Nat Resources & Life Sci Vienna BOKU, Dept Chem, Konrad Lorenz Str 24, A-3430 Tulln - Austria

^[6] Univ British Columbia, Dept Chem & Biol Engn, Bioprod Inst, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 - Canada

^[7] Univ British Columbia, Dept Chem & Wood Sci, Bioprod Inst, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 - Canada

• Document type: Review article
• Source: Advanced Materials; v. 33, n. 43 SEP 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

The most recent strategies available for upcycling agri-food losses and waste (FLW) into functional bioplastics and advanced materials are reviewed and the valorization of food residuals are put in perspective, adding to the water-food-energy nexus. Low value or underutilized biomass, biocolloids, water-soluble biopolymers, polymerizable monomers, and nutrients are introduced as feasible building blocks for biotechnological conversion into bioplastics. The latter are demonstrated for their incorporation in multifunctional packaging, biomedical devices, sensors, actuators, and energy conversion and storage devices, contributing to the valorization efforts within the future circular bioeconomy. Strategies are introduced to effectively synthesize, deconstruct and reassemble or engineer FLW-derived monomeric, polymeric, and colloidal building blocks. Multifunctional bioplastics are introduced considering the structural, chemical, physical as well as the accessibility of FLW precursors. Processing techniques are analyzed within the fields of polymer chemistry and physics. The prospects of FLW streams and biomass surplus, considering their availability, interactions with water and thermal stability, are critically discussed in a near-future scenario that is expected to lead to next-generation bioplastics and advanced materials. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/22214-6 - Towards a convergence of technologies: from sensing and biosensing to information visualization and machine learning for data analysis in clinical diagnosis
• Grantee: Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/12174-4 - Development of hybrid polymer nanofibers for agricultural applications
• Grantee: Daniel Souza Corrêa
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants