EU-backed project converts 1.8B hectolitres of beer waste into PHB bioplastics for packaging

SPAIN – A five-year EU-funded research initiative has successfully turned spent brewery grains into high-purity PHB bioplastics; the BioSupPack project achieved industrial-ready technology readiness levels with €7.6 million (US$8.7 million) in funding from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking.

Coordinated by Spain’s AIMPLAS technology centre with 18 partner organisations, the project aimed to develop PHA materials as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics.

Researchers scaled up biorefinery processes to produce biobased materials for rigid packaging, delivering prototypes described as nearly market-ready.

From Spent Grain to High-Purity PHB

The standout achievement is a bioprocess using plasma pretreatment and microbial fermentation to convert brewery waste into high-purity polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB).

The method has reached industrial-ready technology readiness levels, turning what was once waste into valuable packaging feedstock.

One partner produced PHB-based materials optimised for rigid packaging, made from renewable waste streams, fully biodegradable and recyclable, with industrial-scale production confirmed.

Beyond PHB: Coatings, Barriers, and Sorting

The consortium also developed biobased and biodegradable plastisol coatings for paperboard and textiles, now ready for licensing.

The team created industrially compostable fibre-based packaging with barrier properties comparable to fossil-based plastics, suitable for demanding applications such as ice cream containers.

A new sorting prototype will help recover packaging waste for enzymatic recycling, a process confirmed as effective for end-of-life management.

The Scale of the Opportunity

Brewery waste is abundant. For every litre of beer produced, approximately three to seven kilograms of spent grain are generated.

With global beer production exceeding 1.8 billion hectolitres annually, the potential feedstock for PHB production is measured in millions of tonnes.

The BioSupPack process transforms this low-value by-product, currently used primarily as animal feed, into high-performance bioplastics that compete with fossil-based materials on performance while delivering genuine circularity.

The Bottom Line

For the packaging industry, BioSupPack represents a significant step beyond first-generation bioplastics that compete with food crops.

By using brewery waste as feedstock, the project demonstrates bioplastic production that does not divert resources from food production.

With PHB-based materials validated for rigid packaging and barrier coatings ready for licensing, industrial partners have a clear pathway to commercialisation.

As the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation tightens, solutions combining renewability, biodegradability, and industrial viability will become increasingly valuable, and BioSupPack has delivered all three.

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