Ongoing Projects

Bio2PEs

Development of Bio-Based and biodegradable polyethylene and polyesters for food packaging and agricultural applications

HORIZON EIC Grants - Grant Agreement: 101221903

2025 - 2029

Bio2PEs aims to revolutionize the plastic sectors by developing bio-based and biodegradable polyethylene (PE) and polyester, directly derived from biomass waste, to combat plastic pollution and advance sustainability. The project will develop four eco-friendly, functional prototypes for food packaging, textile packaging, agricultural mulch, and crop protection membranes, addressing key sectors in needof sustainable alternatives. A crucial part of Bio2PEs is its to conduct a comprehensive environmental, economic, and social impactassessment, covering the entire lifecycle of the materials. The biodegradability in open environments, with ecotoxicity tests will be carried out across four EU climate zones (including soil, freshwater, and marine environments), ensuring the materials meet real-world environmental requirements. To support circularity, Bio2PEs will develop a cellulose-based self-repairing coating to fix scratches,enhance the durability and reusability and significantly improve product lifespan. Bio2PEs will also enhance the recyclability of materialsby quantifying the exact content of the recycled material through a fluorescence marker technology. The project will also leverage collaboration with other EU-funded projects, building on social studies of consumer behaviour to design interactive labelling that encourages the adoption of biodegradable materials. Material development data will be shared with an AI tool, developed by a sister project, to expand the data pool and refine material development and biodegradability predictions. This project will support the European Circular Economy Action Plan by fostering scalable, sustainable solutions that reduce waste and plastic pollution while promoting resource efficiency.

MycoVAL

Integrated fungi-based processes for the VALorization of plastic wastes through biodegradation and bio-upcycling

3rd Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Faculty Members & Researchers, in collaboration with Agricultural University of Athens, Grant Agreement 25829

2025 - 2029

The overall aim of MycoVAL project is to identify novel fungal strains isolated from suitable substrates in Greek forest habitats, especially those belonging to the phylum of Basidiomycota, which includes many taxa with a powerful enzymatic arsenal (i.e., principal degraders of lignocellulosics) capable also of plastic depolymerization. Through evaluation of the extracellular enzyme activities involved in degradation of plastics and by using -omic approaches, novel biocatalysts will be produced and studied, thus shedding light on the fungal depolymerization mechanisms. In addition, intermediate (or end-) products from plastics degradation will be examined as feedstocks for the generation of new value-added products. The focus will be on polyolefins (PE, PS) and polyesters (PET, PU), as well as their degradation products including oligomers and/or monomers. The main objective of the project is the development of a biologically upcycling concept for plastic wastes through building a metabolic link between biodegradation of synthetic polymers (and monomers) and biosynthesis of valuable bioactive compounds by fungi.

TwInn4MicroUp

Twinning Innovation Hub for Microbial Platforms in Plastic Upcycling

European Union’s Horizon Europe call HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-02 under Grant Agreement No 101159570

2024 - 2027

Plastics pervade many industries, with production soaring from 1.5 Mt in 1950 to 359 Mt in 2019, and virgin plastics reaching 8,000 Mt in 2020. The result? A surge in plastic waste and environmental threats, with 20 Mt entering aquatic ecosystems annually—dubbed the “7th continent of plastic.” Traditional waste management is failing, driving the need for sustainable solutions.

TwInn4MicroUp leads with an innovative approach, transforming plastic monomers, derived from green plastic depolymerization technologies, into high-value biomaterials and bioactive compounds via Synthetic Microbial Biotechnology.

This project aims to build an EU value chain, converting single-use and hard-to-recycle plastics into next-generation bioactive compounds and biomaterials, ensuring high environmental and economic value.

Project Website

Arabinoglucuronoxylan degradation

Evaluating the potential of Humicola sp. secretomes towards corn arabinoglucuronoxylan degradation via quantitative proteomics

Kemin Industries Inc., Iowa, USA

2024 - 2025

Corn arabinoglucuronoxylan (AGX) is an example of a notoriously recalcitrant type of hemicellulose, owing to its branched main chain xylan that bears various chemical substitutions on its β-1,4-linked xylose monomers.

Its efficient and complete degradation poses great challenges, and it is widely accepted that variable enzymatic specificities— working in a synergistic manner— are required towards this end.

Considering the recalcitrant nature of corn AGX, an alternative to defined mixtures of recombinantly expressed and purified enzymes would be the complete secretome of a fungal species that can naturally grow on relevant lignocellulosic materials.

The objective of this project is to determine the protein components of the industrially relevant ascomycete Humicola sp. secretome, grown on different lignocellulosic carbon sources, and to identify the differentially expressed lignocellulolytic enzymes that are responsible for corn AGX degradation.

Fungal fermentations, selected in vitro enzymatic assays, and simulated digestive system tests will inform the design of the quantitative proteomics analyses that will, eventually, elucidate the secretome-based AGX degradation.