1. Demonstration of a new circular economic viability
The Integrated and Advanced Manufacturing Research Group (CFI), with the pilot plant installed, has managed to obtain 68% of the existing fibre and 76% of the available dry pulp in each pseudostem. The work of the CFI is focused on obtaining more fibre, better quality, cleaner and looser, adding a brushing process.
Tecnopackaging has obtained its first two generations of fish feed bags and banana sleeves, manufactured by both blowing and casting. They achieved to add a 5% of micronized fibre in the compounding and making use of biodegradable and food contact approved plastics (PLA, Bio-PBS and Mater-bi).
AMBI has managed to manufacture pieces of plastic by injection, incorporating fibre. The results obtained were the following: incorporation of 5 – 20% of fibre in HDPE and up to 30% of fibre in ABS and PS, to manufacture mounting sleeves and burner covers. It has been proven that the mechanical strength increases drastically with the fibre content.
2. Reduction of at least 30% CO2 and 100% N2O emissions
The use of the new film plastic products made of starch-based biopolymers and banana fibre and the new conventional plastic parts with natural reinforcement instead of synthetic will reduce CO2 emissions.
New agricultural practices will eliminate the banana crop wastes abandoned in the soils, reducing N2O emissions.
3. Improvement of fish feed quality
The Aquaculture Research Group (GIA) has tested the first two generations of diets based on dry pseudostem pulp and other residual banana products such as the banana flower (florilla), since it has a high content of natural antioxidants (polyphenols).
It has been demonstrated for both tilapia and seabass, we can substitute corn flour with banana by-products.
4. Report on the project impact on the environmental problems identified and on the socioeconomic conditions
A first contact with the Canary Islands Government and the Cabildo de Gran Canaria was established and the consortium is working in the socio-economic analysis that will be delivered later, looking for Government support for the industrialization of the process.
The project has also been present in the Science and Technology Park of Gran Canaria, located in Gáldar, one of the municipalities with the highest banana production on the island.
5. Contact with an audience of at least 1,000 local consumers in the community and 10,000 website visitors
Currently, more than 500 customers have been contacted and the web page has received more than 80,000 visits.
The project has been present at several congresses, fairs and networking events, in addition to workshops with farmers which was related to the circular economy.
6. Analysis of replicability and transferability
Currently, other plant species were tried in the pilot plant to extract their fibres, and the transferability of the technology to other areas, like Portugal, France, India or Mexico, was studied. The goal of the consortium is to find other leaves from vegetable wastes with fibre to extract with the developed machine, in addition to tropical pineapple.
Other vegetable crops were tested as additives in fish feed and extracted fibres from other species were tested in plastics applications.
