Eawag researchers discover how bioplastic could be made from wastewater

In Switzerland, the treatment of wastewater to protect human health and water bodies remains the primary task of wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the recovery of resources is becoming increasingly important on the path to circular economy. Wastewater, for example, contains a lot of organic carbon that is often converted into methane for further energy production. Researchers from Eawag’s Process Engineering Department have now investigated whether and how bioplastics could be obtained instead from organic carbon as a higher-value product. To do this, they work with bacteria that are able to store organic carbon as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). These biopolymers serve as energy and carbon source for the bacteria. They can be extracted from the bacterial cells and further processed to biodegradable plastic.