TY - JOUR
T1 - From trash to treasure: Sourcing high-value, sustainable cellulosic materials from living bioreactor waste streams
AU - Harrison, Thomas
AU - Gupta, Vijai
AU - Alam, Parvez
AU - Perriman, Adam
AU - Scarpa, Fabrizio
AU - Thakur, Vijay
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre, SRUC . No specific funding was allocated for this work. FS also acknowledges the partial support from ERC -2020-AdG-NEUROMETA (No. 101020715 ) and Office of Naval Research Global Grant # 13102794.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/4/1
Y1 - 2023/4/1
N2 - The appreciation of how conventional and fossil-based materials could be harmful to our planet is growing, especially when considering single-use and non-biodegradable plastics manufactured from fossil fuels. Accordingly, tackling climate change and plastic waste pollution entails a more responsible approach to sourcing raw materials and the adoption of less destructive end-of-life pathways. Livestock animals, in particular ruminants, process plant matter using a suite of mechanical, chemical and biological mechanisms through the act of digestion. The manure from these “living bioreactors” is ubiquitous and offers a largely untapped source of lignocellulosic biomass for the development of bio-based and biodegradable materials. In this review, we assess recent studies made into manure-based cellulose materials in terms of their material characteristics and implications for sustainability. Despite the surprisingly diverse body of research, it is apparent that progress towards the commercialisation of manure-derived cellulose materials is hindered by a lack of truly sustainable options and robust data to assess the performance against conventional materials alternatives. Nanocellulose, a natural biopolymer, has been successfully produced by living bioreactors and is presented as a candidate for future developments. Life cycle assessments from non-wood sources are however minimal, but there are some initial indications that manure-derived nanocellulose would offer environmental benefits over traditional wood-derived sources.
AB - The appreciation of how conventional and fossil-based materials could be harmful to our planet is growing, especially when considering single-use and non-biodegradable plastics manufactured from fossil fuels. Accordingly, tackling climate change and plastic waste pollution entails a more responsible approach to sourcing raw materials and the adoption of less destructive end-of-life pathways. Livestock animals, in particular ruminants, process plant matter using a suite of mechanical, chemical and biological mechanisms through the act of digestion. The manure from these “living bioreactors” is ubiquitous and offers a largely untapped source of lignocellulosic biomass for the development of bio-based and biodegradable materials. In this review, we assess recent studies made into manure-based cellulose materials in terms of their material characteristics and implications for sustainability. Despite the surprisingly diverse body of research, it is apparent that progress towards the commercialisation of manure-derived cellulose materials is hindered by a lack of truly sustainable options and robust data to assess the performance against conventional materials alternatives. Nanocellulose, a natural biopolymer, has been successfully produced by living bioreactors and is presented as a candidate for future developments. Life cycle assessments from non-wood sources are however minimal, but there are some initial indications that manure-derived nanocellulose would offer environmental benefits over traditional wood-derived sources.
KW - Biobased materials
KW - Lignocellulosic biomass
KW - Living bioreactor
KW - Nanocellulose
KW - Sustainability
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123511
DO - 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123511
M3 - Article
SN - 0141-8130
VL - 233
JO - International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
JF - International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
M1 - 123511
ER -