Facilities of ULPGC hosted the Kick-off meeting of the European Project LIFE BAQUA, for the utilization of wastes from banana crops through a system of circular economy and whose coordinator is the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. These sessions where held on the 14th and 15th of September.The project LIFE BAQUA (LIFE15 ENV/ES/000157) is entitled “Solutions through the new use for a waste of banana crop to develop products in aquaculture and plastics sector”, and together with the ULPGC, other 5 partners are working during next three years to achieve the target. The total budget arises 1.7 million Euros, and European Commission gives the 60% of funding.
LIFE BAQUA Project belongs to the Environment and Climate Action LIFE Programme, and the main objective of this project is to establish a new circular economy approach to take advantage of wastes from banana plantation (pseudo stem of the plant). From this pseudo stem, and using mechanical processing, two different raw materials are obtained: high quality natural fibres from one side and the residual pulp on the other side. Treated fibre is going to be used to obtain natural reinforced composites, which, as such, may be applied to the automotive sector, as well as bio-based films, which can be employed, among other applications, in the plantation for agricultural use and in the packaging of fish feed. With the residual pulp, as a great technological innovation, it will be held the development of antioxidant additives which serve as a supplement in the production of fish diets for aquaculture.
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