Turning Potato Peels Into Plastic Sheets and Nylon Fibers
The new wasteCANcreate program from Ontario Genomics brings together Canadian researchers and industry partners from the energy, agriculture and food, plastic films, and performance textiles sectors to develop real-world solutions to the waste problem that is threatening the climate, wildlife habitats, and critical natural resources like fresh water.
Precision fermentation converts food waste into useable goods such as biodegradable polymers by using naturally occurring or designed microorganisms. This novel upcycling technology also minimizes greenhouse gas emissions, eliminates the need for petroleum-based plastics, and boosts the province’s economy through employment creation.
“This is a win-win situation. Taking food waste and turning it into things like biodegradable plastic cuts down on garbage going into landfills both now and for generations to come,” Ontario Genomics President and CEO, Dr. Bettina Hamelin, said.
WasteCANcreate received a USD2.3 million kickstart from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agricultural Clean Technology initiative, Ontario Genomics, and other industry partners.
Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization supported by the Ontario government and Genome Canada. Since 2000, OG has fostered innovation throughout the province by funding genomic technologies in the health, agriculture and food, and environmental sectors.
The world is inundated with garbage from various businesses; food waste alone accounts for 50% of agricultural-related greenhouse gas emissions.