At the end of July, the Italian-led European research project Sowise+ (Solid Organic Waste Into Sustainable End-products) was officially launched in the province of Treviso, Italy.
The project aims to build a biorefinery to recycle urban organic waste and used sanitary absorbent materials, transforming them into bio-based materials, including various biopolymers (with PHBV as the core) and cellulose-based materials.
The project's first coordination meeting outlined all core work components: approval procedures and engineering design, demonstration plant establishment, PHBV-based biopolymer and cellulose material formulation development and mass production, product performance verification, sustainability assessment, multi-stakeholder collaboration, project promotion, commercialization of results, technology replication, and overall project operation and management.
The Sowise+ project is led by Contarina, a company that operates public waste management and integrated environmental services for several municipalities in the province of Treviso.
According to the Contarina project manager, Sowise + integrates a full suite of core technological capabilities to achieve industrial-scale transformation of municipal waste into sustainable bio-based new materials. The project deeply integrates innovative processes with existing waste management systems, leveraging the principles of a circular economy to create a new model for the symbiotic development of cities and industry in Europe.
In the coming months, the participating partners will advance the first phase of the project, including administrative approvals, engineering planning, and the overall design of the demonstration plant.
Project partners include research institutes, universities, and industrial enterprises: University of Venice Cafuscali, University of Venice Cafuscali Foundation, SiPHA, I-Foria (Italy), Paques Biomaterials, Wetsus Water Technology Institute (Netherlands), Ena Development Consulting, Novamont, SPRING Alliance, AquaInSilico, Soprema Waterproofing Materials, CSI, SMC Group, Holeska Village Waste Sorting and Disposal Consortium (Czech Republic), Municipal Enterprise for Urban Innovation Technology Development (Spain), Ponikev Eco-Park (Kirk Island, Croatia), European Regional Association for Sustainable Resource Management Cities, Bionanopharma, Normec OWS, Biotrend, Pezy Group, Renewi, Sabio, and Ecorys Consulting.
