Sustainable bio-based materials from biomanufacturing waste streams

Harnessing biology to produce the chemicals, materials and fuels of the future (biomanufacturing) is expected to displace our unsustainable dependency on fossil fuels such as oil. One unaddressed problem is that biomanufacturing processes generate significant quantities of microbial waste which requires processing and safe disposal. This adds to the costs and energy use of biomanufacturing companies, reducing their economic viability and eroding their sustainability credentials.

DeakinBio has recently developed a method to produce a sustainable bio-based alternative to ceramic tiles that involves the combination of organic biopolymers with inorganic powders such as calcium carbonate. In this project, we will explore the feasibility of using microbial waste generated through C3 Biotech's biomanufacturing processes as the organic component in our tiles. This collaboration is beneficial to C3 Biotech due to the potential of creating a valuable product from an unavoidable waste they produce, and for DeakinBio to secure a biopolymer source to produce their ceramic-like biocomposite materials. This project would therefore improve the circularity of both companies, and improve the viability and sustainability of biomanufacturing in the UK.

The desired outcome of this collaboration would be a sustainable ceramic-like tile that has an 80-90% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional tiles by utilising microbial waste generated from C3 Biotech's biomanufacturing processes.