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Project
Sustainable Materials from Agro Residues via Triggered REVERSiblE property Enhancement (SMART-REVERSE)
The transition to a circular economy requires the use of renewable feedstocks such as biomass. In order to prevent competition with food production, the use of non-food agro side streams and -residues is a prerequisite. However, being renewable is not enough: Increasing concerns about emissions of persistent and accumulating chemicals and materials to the environment demand the development of not just (bio)renewable, but also biodegradable alternatives to current products. While biopolymers like starch and cellulose are both renewable and biodegradable in their native form, so called modified derivatives as can be found in thickeners, adhesives, detergent formulations and flocculants, frequently lack sufficient biodegradability due to the chemical changes resulting from functionalisation.
This project aims to develop novel reversible modification methods for sugars and polysaccharides, using safe carbohydrate-based modifying agents, all derived from abundantly available agro-residues. This will generate renewable products suitable for applications such as (waste) water treatment and home & personal care products, while ensuring that the products have the required biodegradability at their end-of-life preventing environmental persistence.