Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | BBS/E/F/00042712 | |
| Title | Wheat and banana co-products as sources of biofuels and biodegradable food packaging materials | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Not Energy Related 50%; Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy, Production of transport biofuels (incl. Production from wastes)) 50%; |
|
| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Biological Sciences) 100% | |
| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Professor KW Waldron No email address given SFC Exploitation Platform Institute of Food Research |
|
| Award Type | Institute Project | |
| Funding Source | BBSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 October 2013 | |
| End Date | 30 September 2015 | |
| Duration | 24 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £3,200 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Transport Systems and Vehicles | |
| Region | East of England | |
| Programme | ||
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Professor KW Waldron , SFC Exploitation Platform, Institute of Food Research (100.000%) |
| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | Objectives not supplied | |
| Abstract | Both wheat and banana are important crops worldwide - wheat as a major source of carbohydrates and energy, and banana one of the most appreciated and consumed fruits. Both generate expressive amounts of co-products when processed into industrial products, and these co-products are sources of compounds (mainly cell wall polysaccharides) which can be used to obtain high added value products, such as biofuels and biodegradable packaging materials. Polysaccharides from wheat straw, wheat bran and banana peel will be extracted, quantified and characterized, and will be used to produce bioethanol and biodegradable packaging films. Cellulose will be primarily used for bioethanol production, since its hydrolysis produces glucose, which is readily fermented by yeasts. Hemicelluloses and pectins, on the other hand, are hydrolysed into pentoses and uronic acids, which are not easily fermented by yeasts. So, hemicelluloses and/or pectins (depending on the recoveries for each co-product) will be used as matrices for film production. Films will be strengthened through the addition of cellulose nanocrystals as well as phenolic compounds as cross-linking agents, in order to improve their physical properties and consequent performance as packaging materials. Besides being evaluated for physical performance, the films will be evaluated for antioxidant capacity, which could add more value to the resulting materials by conferring active and/or bioactive functions. | |
| Publications | (none) |
|
| Final Report | (none) |
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| Added to Database | 15/12/14 | |
