Das Projekt "Biologisch abbaubare Polyester aus 1,3-Propandiol und durch Fermentierung nachwachsender Rohstoffe produziertes Succinat" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH durchgeführt. General Information: Changing shopping habits and trends to convenience products have precipitated a plastic waste disposal crisis. Relief is expected by recycling, however, due to the high cost of collection, separation and purification recycling is considered as economically ambiguous. Assuming that biodegradable plastics meet the price expectation, it would be better to use biodegradable plastics which are easily compostable. The estimated EEC market (year 1998) for such products is of significant size: approximately 4-5 x l05 tons/yr. The overall goal of the present project is the synthesis of biodegradable polyesters from two main monomers, 1,3-propanediol and succinate (produced by fermentation from renewable sources) and from other dicarboxylic acids (like terephthalic acid) used as an auxiliary monomers to modified the chemical and physical properties of the polyester. The advantages of this approach compared to polyhydoxyalkanoates or polylactides (two biodegradable polyesters that can be produced from renewable sources) are the lower cost of production and the possibility to easily modify the physical properties of the polyester to the qualities required for the article made of plastic. Therefore the main items of this project are: Production of 1,3-propanediol out of glycerol coming from the oleochemical industry (fatty acids, fatty alcohols) and rape seed oil production. Development of genetically modified micro organisms for maximal yield of 1,3-propanediol production and evaluation of their performances in fermentor up to the m3 scale and in high volumetric productivity membrane bioreactor. Production of succinic acid from starch hydrolysates using Anaerobiospirillum succiniproducens in high performance bioreactor (membrane bioreactors with optimized ratio of cell bleeding and effluent flow rates and in situ product recovery by electro dialysis), to increase the productivity and decrease the waste water treatment of the process. This fermentation is original by the fact that carbon dioxide is consumed for succinate production. Several patents have been deposited regarding the process of succinate production but the productivities reported are low due to low cell density. Development of polyesters based on 1,3-propanediol and succinic acid optimised regarding process ability and thermo-mechanical properties by means of utilization of improved polymerization-copolymerization methods and blending. Manufacture of prototypes of product using the referred optimised polymers, copolymers and blends. Biodegradation studies using various test systems including C-balances, isolation and characterization of degradative microbial consortia and involved enzymes systems (lipases, hydrolase's). Prime Contractor: Institut National des Sciences Appliquees Toulouse, Departement de Genie Biochimique, Toulouse; France.