Turning Disposed into Disposable-Development of Single-Use Products from Underutilized Brewery Wastes

Area of Science:

• * Sustainable materials science and industrial biotechnology.
• * Focus on circular economy principles within the food and beverage industry.

Background:

• * The European beer industry generates significant by-products, primarily spent yeast (SY) and brewers' spent grain (BSG).
• * Current waste management practices for these by-products often lack economic and environmental sustainability.
• * There is a growing market demand for eco-friendly products and a shift towards sustainable industrial practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop an innovative method for the simultaneous valorization of SY and BSG.
• * To create a novel composite material from these by-products with properties comparable to commercial alternatives.
• * To assess the potential application of the developed material, focusing on moisture resistance and manufacturability.

Main Methods:

• * Utilized SY as a binder for BSG-based products, with or without minimal organic acid treatment (citric, succinic, tartaric).
• * Characterized the mechanical properties (flexural modulus and strength) of the resulting composite material.
• * Applied a vegetable oil coating followed by thermooxidation to enhance moisture resistance.
• * Manufactured and evaluated disposable plates as a potential application.

Main Results:

• * SY effectively bonded BSG, yielding a material with a flexural modulus >1 GPa and flexural strength >6 MPa.
• * The vegetable oil coating significantly improved moisture and humidity resistance (water contact angle >80°).
• * Disposable plates were successfully manufactured, demonstrating the material's practical applicability.

Conclusions:

• * This research offers a sustainable solution for beer by-product management, transforming waste into valuable materials.
• * The developed composite material exhibits promising mechanical and moisture-resistant properties for potential applications.
• * Further research is required to meet food-contact material regulations before industrial implementation.