What are the circular possibilities for materials and productsavailable in the Griffiersveld pilot and how can this informationbe presented? Interviews with stakeholders have led to a list ofrequirements for the material passports and what informationthey should include. Existing and experimental materialpassports have been collected and analysed to see whetherthey meet the requirements. The construction materials on siteare identified and circular possibilities of these materials arelisted. Finally an advice is given for the municipality ofApeldoorn for a circular renovation approach.
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The transition to a biobased economy necessitates utilizing renewable resources as a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Bioconversion is a way to produce many green chemicals from renewables, e.g., biopolymers like PHAs. However, fermentation and bioconversion processes mostly rely on expensive, and highly refined pure substrates. The utilization of crude fractions from biorefineries, especially herbaceous lignocellulosic feedstocks, could significantly reduce costs. This presentation shows the microbial production of PHA from such a crude stream by a wild-type thermophilic bacterium Schlegelella thermodepolymerans [1]. Specifically, it uses crude xylose-rich fractions derived from a newly developed biorefinery process for grassy biomasses (the ALACEN process). This new stepwise mild flow-through biorefinery approach for grassy lignocellulosic biomass allows the production of various fractions: a fraction containing esterified aromatics, a monomeric xylose-rich stream, a glucose fraction, and a native-like lignin residue [2]. The crude xylose-rich fraction was free of fermentation-inhibiting compounds meaning that the bacterium S.thermodepolymerans could effectively use it for the production of one type of PHA, polyhydroxybutyrate. Almost 90% of the xylose in the refined wheat straw fraction was metabolized with simultaneous production of PHA, matching 90% of the PHA production per gram of sugars, comparable to PHA yields from commercially available xylose. In addition to xylose, S. thermodepolymerans converted oligosaccharides with a xylose backbone (xylans) into fermentable xylose, and subsequently utilized the xylose as a source for PHA production. Since the xylose-rich hydrolysates from the ALACEN process also contain some oligomeric xylose and minor hemicellulose-derived sugars, optimal valorization of the C5-fractions derived from the refinery process can be obtained using S. thermodepolymerans. This opens the way for further exploration of PHA production from C5-fractions out of a variety of herbaceous lignocellulosic biomasses using the ALACEN process combined with S. thermodepolymerans. Overall, the innovative utilization of renewable resources in fermentation technology, as shown herein, makes a solid contribution to the transition to a biobased economy.[1] W. Zhou, D.I. Colpa, H. Permentier, R.A. Offringa, L. Rohrbach, G.J.W. Euverink, J. Krooneman. Insight into polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from xylose and extracellular PHA degradation by a thermophilic Schlegelella thermodepolymerans. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 194 (2023) 107006, ISSN 0921-3449, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.107006. [2] S. Bertran-Llorens, W.Zhou. M.A.Palazzo, D.I.Colpa, G.J.W.Euverink, J.Krooneman, P.J.Deuss. ALACEN: a holistic herbaceous biomass fractionation process attaining a xylose-rich stream for direct microbial conversion to bioplastics. Submitted 2023.
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Op 28 maart 2024 vond de slotbijeenkomst van het project Natuurinclusieve Gebiedsontwikkeling plaats in het Natural Pavilion te Almere. Tijdens deze bijeenkomst werden de belangrijkste bevindingen en aanbevelingen per case gepresenteerd van twee jaar onderzoek met als hoogtepunt de presentatie van de whitepaper met natuurinclusieve uitgangspunten. Naast de presentaties was er een posterexpositie georganiseerd waarbij op de posters de belangrijkste uitkomsten van diverse deelonderzoeken werden gepresenteerd. De posters van onderzoekers en studenten zijn in deze publicatie gebundeld.
Currently, many novel innovative materials and manufacturing methods are developed in order to help businesses for improving their performance, developing new products, and also implement more sustainability into their current processes. For this purpose, additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been very successful in the fabrication of complex shape products, that cannot be manufactured by conventional approaches, and also using novel high-performance materials with more sustainable aspects. The application of bioplastics and biopolymers is growing fast in the 3D printing industry. Since they are good alternatives to petrochemical products that have negative impacts on environments, therefore, many research studies have been exploring and developing new biopolymers and 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of fully biobased products. In particular, 3D printing of smart biopolymers has attracted much attention due to the specific functionalities of the fabricated products. They have a unique ability to recover their original shape from a significant plastic deformation when a particular stimulus, like temperature, is applied. Therefore, the application of smart biopolymers in the 3D printing process gives an additional dimension (time) to this technology, called four-dimensional (4D) printing, and it highlights the promise for further development of 4D printing in the design and fabrication of smart structures and products. This performance in combination with specific complex designs, such as sandwich structures, allows the production of for example impact-resistant, stress-absorber panels, lightweight products for sporting goods, automotive, or many other applications. In this study, an experimental approach will be applied to fabricate a suitable biopolymer with a shape memory behavior and also investigate the impact of design and operational parameters on the functionality of 4D printed sandwich structures, especially, stress absorption rate and shape recovery behavior.
Verschillende maatschappelijke veranderingen dwingen de bouwbranche tot innovaties. Ondanks de potentie op het vlak van circulariteit en duurzaamheid van 3D-printen met kunststoffen kent deze technologie nog nauwelijks toepassingen in de bouw. Redenen hiervoor zijn achterblijvende materiaaleigenschappen en het verschil in cultuur tussen de bouwwereld en kunststofverwerkende industrie. Het bedrijf Phidias, richt zich op innovatieve en creatieve vastgoedconcepten. Samen met Zuyd Hogeschool (Zuyd) willen zij onderzoek doen naar het printen van bouwelementen waarbij de meerwaarde van 3D-printen wordt gezien in het combineren van materiaaleigenschappen. Zuyd heeft afgelopen jaren veel onderzoek gedaan naar het ontwikkelen van materialen voor 3D-printen (o.a. 2014-01-96 PRO). De volgende fase is de opgedane kennis toe te passen voor specifieke applicaties, in dit geval om de vraag van het MKB bedrijf Phidias te beantwoorden. Vanuit een ander MKB-bedrijf, MaukCC, ontwikkelaar van 3D printers, komt de vraag om de afstemming tussen materialen en hardware te optimaliseren. De combinatie van beide vragen uit het werkveld en de expertise bij Zuyd heeft geleid tot dit projectvoorstel. In deze pilotstudie ligt de focus voornamelijk op het 3D printen van één specifiek bouwkundig element met meerdere eigenschappen (bouwfysisch en constructief). De combinatie van eigenschappen wordt verkregen door gebruik te maken van twee (biobased) kunststoffen waarbij tevens een variatie wordt aangebracht in de geprinte structuren. Op deze manier kunnen grondstoffen worden gespaard. Het onderzoek sluit aan bij twee zwaartepunten van Zuyd, namelijk “Transitie naar een duurzaam gebouwde omgeving” en “Life science & materials”. De interdisciplinaire aanpak, op het grensvlak van de lectoraten “Material Sciences” (Gino van Strydonck) en “Sustainable Energy in the Built Environment” (Zeger Vroon) staat garant voor innovatief onderzoek. Integratie van onderwijs en onderzoek vindt plaats door studenten samen met een coach (docent) en ervaren professional aan dit onderzoek te laten werken in Communities for Development (CfD’s).
The postdoc candidate, Giuliana Scuderi, will strengthen the connection between the research group Biobased Buildings (BB), (collaboration between Avans University of Applied Sciences and HZ University of Applied Sciences (HZ), and the Civil Engineering bachelor programme (CE) of HZ. The proposed research aims at deepening the knowledge about the mechanical properties of biobased materials for the application in the structural and infrastructural sectors. The research is relevant for the professional field, which is looking for safe and sustainable alternatives to traditional building materials (such as lignin asphalt, biobased panels for bridge constructions, etc.). The study of the mechanical behaviour of traditional materials (such as concrete and steel) is already part of the CE curriculum, but the ambition of this postdoc is that also BB principles are applied and visible. Therefore, from the first year of the programme, the postdoc will develop a biobased material science line and will facilitate applied research experiences for students, in collaboration with engineering and architectural companies, material producers and governmental bodies. Consequently, a new generation of environmentally sensitive civil engineers could be trained, as the labour market requires. The subject is broad and relevant for the future of our built environment, with possible connections with other fields of study, such as Architecture, Engineering, Economics and Chemistry. The project is also relevant for the National Science Agenda (NWA), being a crossover between the routes “Materialen – Made in Holland” and “Circulaire economie en grondstoffenefficiëntie”. The final products will be ready-to-use guidelines for the applications of biobased materials, a portfolio of applications and examples, and a new continuous learning line about biobased material science within the CE curriculum. The postdoc will be mentored and supervised by the Lector of the research group and by the study programme coordinator. The personnel policy and job function series of HZ facilitates the development opportunity.
