BEER-SHEVA, Israel,
Nov. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BGN
Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU),
announced today that it had signed a research collaboration
agreement with ECOIBÉRIA in the field of plastic recycling by
bacteria, based on research from the team of Prof. Ariel Kushmaro
and Prof. Alex Sivan, both from the
Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Avram and Stella
Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering
at BGU.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most abundantly used
polymer in the world, with multiple applications in the textile
industry as well as in food and beverage packaging. It is estimated
that about 56 million tons of PET are produced yearly worldwide,
mostly as single use packaging material. Therefore, intense efforts
are directed towards recycling and reuse of the PET plastic
materials.
Prof.'s Kushmaro and Sivan and their team have been studying
plastic biodegradation and have discovered several bacteria species
that are able to biodegrade polyethylene, which was previously
considered a non-biodegradable plastic mainly because of the highly
stable carbon−carbon (C−C) bonds of the polymer backbone.
Based on these findings, the research collaboration project will
assess the biodegradation of PET by previously identified
bacteria as well as novel ones, with the aim of developing an
efficient biodegradation process of PET whose products will be used
as raw materials for recycled PET in the future.
"Plastic-containing products is one of the biggest environmental
challenges facing modern society, and degradation and recycling of
plastic are one crucial strategy for dealing with the environmental
impact of PET," said Prof. Kushmaro. "Existing technologies, such
as thermo-mechanical recycling impair the mechanical properties of
the polymer and suffer from other disadvantages such as the need
for organic solvents, high reaction temperatures and intensive
waste sorting. Bacterial degradation of PET into recyclable
materials that can be then reused to manufacture new PET products
is therefore a promising strategy that can have a global
environmental and economic impact."
"ECOIBÉRIA's mission is to guarantee the sustainability of the
production and consumption models and assist in the transition from
the linear economy to the circular economy, through the
transformation of PET plastic waste into valuable secondary raw
materials," said Mr. Jorge Lemos,
CEO at ECOIBÉRIA. "We believe that BGU's innovations in the
field of bacterial biodegradation of PET complements our
technologies and has the potential to become an important
contribution to our plastic recycling efforts."
Shirley Sheffer, VP Business
Development at BGN Technologies, added, "Prof.s Kushmaro and Sivan
are world experts in the field of plastic biodegradation. We are
very pleased to partner with ECOIBÉRIA, a leading European company
in the field of plastic waste recycling, for further researching
this important field. This research collaboration holds the
potential of implementing future findings into ECOIBÉRIA
environmentally-friendly materials and products."
About ECOIBERIA
Based in the north of Portugal,
ECOIBÉRIA, founded in 2005 and today with a cover area with
17.000 m2, is dedicated to
PET plastic waste recycling, being a leading European producer of
secondary raw materials of high quality and consistency, such as,
PET Flakes, and in April 2021, of PET
Pellets. Every year an estimated quantity of 50.000 tons of PET
plastic waste is processed by ECOIBÉRIA, using the most advanced
technology and according to the highest quality standards. For
addition information, please visit our website:
https://www.ecoiberia.pt/.
About BGN Technologies
BGN Technologies is the technology transfer company of
Ben-Gurion University, the third
largest university in Israel. BGN
Technologies brings technological innovations from the lab to the
market and fosters research collaborations and entrepreneurship
among researchers and students. To date,
BGN Technologies has established over 100 startup
companies in the fields of biotech, hi-tech, and cleantech,
and has initiated leading technology hubs, incubators, and
accelerators. Over the past decade, BGN
Technologies has focused on creating long-term partnerships with
multinational corporations such as Deutsche Telekom, Dell-EMC,
PayPal, and Lockheed Martin, securing value and growth for
Ben-Gurion University as well as the
Negev region. For more information, visit the BGN Technologies
website.
Media Contact:
Tsipi Haitovsky
Global Media Liaison
BGN Technologies
Tel: +972-52-598-9892
E-mail: tsipihai5@gmail.com
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SOURCE BGN Technologies