UAB-developed technology included in the EC's Innovation Radar

19/10/2020

The European Commission has decided to include in its selection of innovative and highly potential projects receiving EU funding, known as the Innovation Radar, the technology being developed by the Bioprocess Engineering and Applied Biocatalysis group and the Fermentation Pilot Plant of the UAB Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering to turn CO2 into lactic acid, within the framework of their BIOCON-CO2 project.

The UAB research group is developing a multi-enzymatic system that will transform carbon dioxide into lactic acid, by producing the enzymes needed for this system and transforming the lactic acid into PLA biopolymer through enzymatic methods. Also participating in the development of this technology is the University of Groningen and the Stichting Wageningen Research Institute, both from the Netherlands.

The technology will play a highly important role in fulfilling the objectives of the BIOCON-CO2 project, which aims to create a flexible and viable industrial-level platform that can biologically transform the CO2 generated by the iron and steel industries into plastics and chemical products with added value. The innovation had been categorised as "business ready", and therefore can potentially be used and commercialised immediately on the market.

The European Commission's Innovation Radar was created to identify highly potential innovations among the projects receiving EU funding. The objective is to promote the results of European innovations and make them visible. By increasing accessibility to new innovations, the Innovation Radar is working towards the development of a dynamic ecosystem of incubators, entrepreneurs, financial agencies and investors who can help make research results cross over into the market at greater speeds.