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Clara Bilbao

GAIKER is a technological partner in the compostable film and packaging company BIOPLASTICS4HEALTH S.L.

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The innovative 100% compostable film and packaging solution by Bioplastics4health SL has been developed with the contribution of GAIKER technology

Faced with the growing environmental challenge of fossil plastic waste, Bioplastics4health SL (B4H) presents an innovative solution: 100% compostable films and packaging made from PHBV, a biopolymer that is derived from potato starch. Based on exclusive technology partially developed by the GAIKER technology centre, and with initial industrial production in Germany, it has plans for expansion in the Basque Country, where B4H is expected to address the lack of industrial capacity in Europe for this compostable material, which is key to the circular economy.

According to Plastics Europe (2024), bioplastics only account for 0.6% of the more than 400 million tonnes of plastics produced globally. Production is expected to increase to 7.7 million tonnes by 2029 (annual rate of 14%), driven by regulations such as the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive and demand for sustainable packaging. The benefits of PHBV include the fact that it is home compostable, as opposed to industrial compostable, such as PLA; as well as its higher thermal resistance and lower environmental impact.

With an initial investment of €700k and a B2B model, B4H is planning an initial capacity of 2,840 tonnes per year and projects a turnover of €10.3 million in 5 years, covering part of a growing European market. Phase 2 of the company has already begun the search for public-private funding for a future plant in Spain, aligned with EU sustainability regulations and allowing it to supply part of the Spanish and European agri-food market.

Some of the investors in this first round include lead investor TranXforma Food, S.L., as well as RAISA Film de Polietileno,S.A., an investment group led by chef Iñaki Andradas, and the GAIKER Technology Centre. A group of small investors from the agri-food sector have also provided capital with a convertible note. B4H has taken out a €180k loan from ENISA’s Agroinnpulso programme and received grants from the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Basque Government’s Basque Business Development Agency (SPRI).

Development of chemical recycling technologies to treat complex plastic waste

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The application and industrialisation of solvolysis and dissolution processes enable complex plastic waste from textiles, composites and multilayer laminates to be upcycled.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA and expert in plastic and chemical recycling technologies, is coordinating the COMPLESOLV project which seeks to extend the circular economy to complex plastic waste from textiles, composites and multilayer laminates through the research and development of chemical recycling technologies based on solvolysis and dissolution processes. To do so, it has the support of Koopera Servicios Ambientales, S.Coop.I.S., Mecanizados Martiartu S.L. and Trienekens País Vasco, S.L. 

This research,which began in 2024 and is funded by Bizkaia Provincial Council as part of its Line 1 Technology Transfer programme, seeks to provide a solution to the recovery of waste that cannot be treated by mechanical recycling technologies due to the complexity of its texture, composition or the bond between the materials that make it up.

The proposed solution is based on chemical recycling by solvolysis and dissolution, as its application and industrialisation enable upcycling, i.e. the production of new plastic materials or products of a higher quality, ecological and economic value, avoiding linear models and opting for circular models for the use of resources. It is a question of promoting the circular economy.

To achieve this goal, COMPLESOLV is divided into four phases:

1.   Characterisation and conditioning of complex waste (multilayers, textiles and composites).

2.   Research into solvolysis and selective dissolution processes applied to complex waste that is difficult to recycle.

3.   Research into advanced purification and quality control of solvolysis and selective dissolution products.

4.   Technical-economic and environmental validation and assessment

The development of this project sets out to meet current demands for infinite recycling to products of equivalent quality to virgin material, plastic products derived from chemical recycling with synthesis or food grade and recycled products with very low levels of impurities to fulfil the specifications demanded by secondary raw material markets. Furthermore, it also seeks to contribute to better management of complex waste with plastics that are difficult to treat deposited in landfills in the Basque Country and to ensure that the recycled products that reach the markets come from processes with a lower impact on the use of resources (natural solvents), energy (low temperature reactions) and zero waste (products and by-products used globally).

Sensors and AI for smart sorting of complex waste

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At GAIKER we have computer vision and spectroscopic analysis techniques which, combined with predictive models based on AI algorithms, are used both to monitor the characteristics of different materials (plastics, metals) and to automatically identify them in real time when mixed in waste streams.
 
We develop predictive models and use them in case studies.
 
Our technology: 

  • RGB computer vision
  • Raman spectroscopy
  • Hyperspectral imaging, HSI
  • Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, LIBS

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We develop smart technologies based on AI to recycle metals from end-of-life vehicles

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The CIRIAMET project develops and evaluates artificial intelligence models on a laboratory scale to identify, sort and recover valuable metals in the end-of-life vehicle recycling process.

The CIRIAMET project, in which the GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is participating, has been created in order to promote circularity in the recycling of hybrid and electric vehicles.

The main objective of this project is to develop technologies based on artificial intelligence to identify, sort and recover valuable metals in the recycling process of the new generation of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).

The metallic fractions generated in waste recycling processes do not have a homogeneous chemical composition as they are made up of a mixture of different alloys. Therefore, the metallurgical recovery of these fractions results in metal products that do not meet the requirements for certain industrial applications. CIRIAMET was launched in 2024 to address this issue and to recover secondary raw materials of high value to industry.

In this research, high purity concentrates of key metals or streams of improved quality will be obtained by automatically sorting complex metal scrap, using artificial vision, spectroscopic analysis techniques and data analysis algorithms based on artificial intelligence and the subsequent automated separation. This will lay the foundations for the development of more efficient metallurgical processes, enabling the circularity of metal resources contained in waste in high added value applications (upcycling).

Funded by the Basque Government's Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability as part of its ELKARTEK 2024 aid programme for collaborative research in strategic areas, this project involves seven actors from the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network, including GAIKER, whose work will focus on the:

  • Automatic sorting of aluminium alloys contained in non-ferrous fragments.
  • Intelligent localisation on conveyor belts of scattered unwanted materials in heterogeneous scrap fragmentation flows as a preliminary step to their automated extraction.
  • Intelligent location of union elements in out-of-use lithium-ion batteries to support automated disassembly operations.

GAIKER will also participate in the study of the impact that the project's technologies may have on the circularity and sustainability of the processes for recovering metals from end-of-life vehicle scrap and lithium-ion batteries, as well as their effect on the rest of the value chain.

In CIRIAMET, advanced artificial vision, hyperspectral vision and laser-induced plasma spectroscopy solutions combined with image and spectroscopic data analysis models based on machine learning and deep learning algorithms are being researched and evaluated on a laboratory scale to carry out automatic recognition of target materials.

Subsidised by the Basque Government

We develop products based on protein and cultivated pork fat

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TERUELPORK4CULTURE researches and develops in vitro meat products based on Protected Designation of Origin meat

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is participating in the TERUELPORK4CULTURE project, whose main objective is to research and develop products that incorporate protein and animal fat cultivated from meat with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). These products aim to be more sustainable, with organoleptic, nutritional and health properties similar to or better than those of conventional meat products.

Population growth coupled with the current dependence on animal protein makes it necessary to rethink the food model, and although a number of innovative actions have been taken to improve the efficiency of traditional meat production, these have not been sufficient to address global sustainability challenges.

In order to respond to this challenge, this research was launched in 2023 with the participation of CARTESA (leader), CNTA and GREENFOODS, in addition to GAIKER, and is financed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities within its Public-Private Collaboration programme.

TERUELPORK4CULTURE is divided into four work packages and GAIKER collaborates in three of them by contributing its experience in in vitro testing and its accreditation with the GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) Compliance Certificate. Its work focuses on:

  • Developing continuous primary and secondary cell lines.

  • Selecting culture media free of serum and animal components.

  • Designing cell culture processes in 5 L bioreactors.

  • Formulating and scaling-up pilot plant prototypes of fresh and extruded products.

One of the main new features in this research is the use of Teruel Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) meat as the basis for the cell cultures, which is a pioneering approach, as no work had previously been carried out in this field with protected meat matrices. The aim is to replicate the physicochemical, nutritional and organoleptic properties of this meat, but through a more sustainable system that contributes to improving the efficiency of the livestock farming model and reducing the consumption of water, nutrients and CO₂ emissions.

Furthermore, the products developed will be integrated into fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food systems, produced in smart, low-carbon industrial plants aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal.

Funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

Exploring the microbiome opens up a new window of business opportunities in the biotech sector

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Article written by Miguel Romano – Biotechnology Market Manager at GAIKER – See original

Finding out more about the human and environmental microbiome has emerged as one of the most promising areas of modern biotechnology. Everything around us is inhabited by complex communities of micro-organisms that have a critical effect on health, ecosystems and food production.

For decades, the study of micro-organisms has been limited to traditional culture techniques, which provide only a partial view of the microbial world. However, the advent of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies and the bioinformatics tools that allow us to process them have revolutionised our understanding of microbial diversity and utility, opening the door to new applications that have transformed sectors such as health, agriculture and food.

This knowledge has fuelled a multi-billion dollar industry focused on characterising and modulating microbial communities for our benefit. However, there is still a vast area to explore in terms of applying this knowledge to improving sustainability, using natural resources efficiently and reducing waste generation across multiple production sectors.

Microbial biotechnology is seen as a strategic tool for tackling the major challenges of the 21st century and represents an enormous commercial opportunity, both for developing new products and providing specialist analysis, process design and technology consultancy services. In this sense, GAIKER has the scientific and technological capabilities needed to support companies and institutions in this transition, by designing solutions that respond to the global challenges of health, food, the circular economy and climate change mitigation.

In short, at GAIKER we are confident about the future of the bioeconomy and are ready to lead this change. Committing to microbial research is not only an investment in innovation, but also a key contribution to the global wellbeing and sustainability of the planet. In an environment marked by the need for efficient, responsible solutions, microbiology is emerging as a new scientific and commercial breakthrough capable of transforming entire industries.

Further information

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