TY - JOUR
T1 - Do biodegradable food packaging films from agro-food waste pay off? A cost-benefit analysis in the context of Europe
AU - Tassinari, Gianmaria
AU - Bassani, Andrea
AU - Spigno, Giorgia
AU - Soregaroli, Claudio
AU - Drabik, Dušan
PY - 2023/1/15
Y1 - 2023/1/15
N2 - Bio-based polymers are increasingly attracting attention as a solution to reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources and curbing the accumulation of fossil-based plastic waste. In this study, we analyze the economics of a new packaging film based on a polylactic acid–polyhydroxybutyrate blend (PLA-PHB), with PHB obtained from agro-industrial residues (potato peels). We model various sizes of biorefineries using the new biotechnology in Europe. For a four-year payback period, which is generally accepted in the industry, the calculated minimum product selling price ranges from 9.7 euros per kilogram to 37.2 euros per kilogram, depending, among other factors, on the production capacity of the biorefinery. We have incorporated the uncertainty over the model parameters in a Monte Carlo simulation and investigated the relative impact of individual factors on the minimum product selling price. Overall, the results indicate that the bio-based feedstock availability is the most influential factor on the profitability of the new biotechnology.
AB - Bio-based polymers are increasingly attracting attention as a solution to reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources and curbing the accumulation of fossil-based plastic waste. In this study, we analyze the economics of a new packaging film based on a polylactic acid–polyhydroxybutyrate blend (PLA-PHB), with PHB obtained from agro-industrial residues (potato peels). We model various sizes of biorefineries using the new biotechnology in Europe. For a four-year payback period, which is generally accepted in the industry, the calculated minimum product selling price ranges from 9.7 euros per kilogram to 37.2 euros per kilogram, depending, among other factors, on the production capacity of the biorefinery. We have incorporated the uncertainty over the model parameters in a Monte Carlo simulation and investigated the relative impact of individual factors on the minimum product selling price. Overall, the results indicate that the bio-based feedstock availability is the most influential factor on the profitability of the new biotechnology.
KW - Bioplastics
KW - Circular bioeconomy
KW - Resource management
KW - Sustainability
KW - Techno-economic analysis
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159101
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159101
M3 - Article
C2 - 36181818
AN - SCOPUS:85139328466
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 856
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 159101
ER -