Research

In 2025 around 11 billion tonnes of plastic waste will pollute the environment. Therefore, a circular economy with biotransformation and biodegradation of oil-based plastics is as crucial as implementing biobased and biodegradable materials. Transforming lignocellulosic waste biomass into commercially valuable “green” materials is an emerging and promising way to minimize waste, substitute plastic and reduce our carbon footprint. As a waste resource, we suggest walnut shells, in which we discovered the interlocked 3-D puzzle cells. The homogeneity, the high surface area and the channels make these cells interesting for transformation into biodegradable bioplastic. We plan to dissolve the walnut shells in deep eutectic solvent to separate the cells, add water to regenerate lignin and recycle the solvent. The result of this closed process circle is a NUT slurry as a basis for our materials. To tailor and functionalize the composite for different applications we propose to add bacterial cellulose pellicles, a waste from kombucha fermentation or produced in bioreactors. The pure cellulose fibrils with high tensile strength are an exciting counterpart to the high lignin content pressure optimised puzzle cells. With different ratios of the two agri-residues we will tune the material properties for NUTplastic and NUTleather. Sustainable, energy and resource efficient, biodegradable NUTmaterials with a low carbon and environmental footprint are envisaged for the packaging and textile sector. The project activities comprise 1) development and characterisation of NUTleather and NUTplastic products at the demonstration level 2) life cycle analysis, cost of goods and carbon footprint, 3) define endusers, market analysis, potential industrial partner, buisness plan and IP strategy.

Within the framework of a literature study and a compact, experimental analysis, we summarize the data on particulate abrasions of ceramic dental implants and relate the result to the known data of conventional titanium implants. Expert interviews will be conducted within the framework of the project and thus a comprehensive picture of the evaluation and selection criteria of implant materials will be published as part of an overview study.

The basis for our technology is the so-called inline holography microscopy. We shine coherent light through a transparent volume with microscopic objects like bacteria, spores, algae, microplastics, etc. in it. These objects scatter a small amount of this light. The scattered light interferes with the illumination beam, creating interference patterns that are recorded by a camera. The breakthrough technology to be further developed in this project uses recorded in-line holograms to calculate the full light field in the entire sample volume by backpropagation or numerical refocusing. This offers several advantages: 1. the ability to numerically refocus after image acquisition greatly simplifies data acquisition. 2. cells and environmental particles can be observed in their natural 3D environment. 3. it is possible to observe many more objects simultaneously than is possible with conventional microscopy, and it is possible to record a continuous flow of an analyzed fluid. Based on the data collected with this technology, Holloid aims to develop algorithms that will allow researchers and environmental analysts to simultaneously detect and quantify bacteria and microparticles using a microscope/sensor suitable for environmental monitoring, including groundwater. This will provide a new means for those responsible for water quality in the environment and, ultimately, in drinking water to gain insights with significant implications for the health of our ecosystems and people. Ultimately, the results of this project can form the basis for numerous other applications in environmental monitoring and beyond.