The Soil, Waste and Environment Research Unit (SOREiMA) of the Department of Plant Biology of the University of Valencia participates in the MICROFAGO project. The general objective of this project is to accelerate the biodegradation of bioplastics during industrial biological treatments of organic waste, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, through specific biotechnological techniques using microorganisms and phages that modulate degradation.

The MICROFAGO Project is coordinated by the AIMPLAS technological institute; and, in addition to the University of Valencia, the company Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence S.L. is part of the Consortium. (DARWIN), the company EVOLVING Therapeutics S.L. (EVOLVING), and the company Gestión Integral De Residuos Sólidos S.A. (GIRSA). The initiative is financed by AVI-IVACE+i and, between 2024 and 2026, will provide this consortium with more than 887,086.94 euros of financing within the framework of its aid program for strategic cooperation projects.

This project is investigating the effects of modulating the microbial population responsible for the biodegradation of bioplastics in various industrial treatment environments. The use of specific natural viruses known as bacteriophages (or phages) to eliminate bacteria that can inhibit the biodegradation process of bioplastics in industrial processes is the subject of study; Thus, phages will be one of those responsible for controlling and improving the microbial population, eliminating inactive microorganisms that can occupy the niche or use resources that inhibit the biodegradation process by beneficial microorganisms. The effect of this modulation of the microbiota (through the addition of phages and bacteria), applied in the different organic waste treatment processes (composting and anaerobic digestion), will be evaluated through biodegradation and disintegration studies at different scales (laboratory, pilot and industrial), and will be contrasted with the results obtained in the biodegradation tests carried out according to the methodology set forth in current regulations and the conditions currently adopted in industrial plants.  The University of Valencia will carry out composting tests at laboratory and pilot level in order to study the characteristics of the process and the compost obtained.

File No.:

INNEST/2024/613

Amount financed to the University of Valencia:

€149,928.31

Awardee entity:

IVACE+i (AVI)

Project funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) in the 2024 call for Strategic Cooperation Projects.