Università degli Studi di Pavia - unipv.it
V.le Taramelli, 12 - 27100 Pavia (IT)
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
PROJECT – Cutin from Tomato-peel waste: green source for plurality of engineered polymer Products (CutToPro)
Funded by Cariplo: Rif. Pratica 2021-0651 – Bando 2021 – “Economia Circolare: ricerca per un futuro sostenibile”.
Project contact person: Prof. Rossella Dorati, Dr. Erika Maria Tottoli, Dr. Simona Mascitelli
Email – rossella.dorati@unipv.it
Abstract
Disposable plastics, such as gloves, face masks, medical packaging and other similar products contribute to the growing environmental problems associated with health waste without recycling option. Such devices represent a potential market for bioplastics in the biomedical sector. The use of bioplastics can be beneficial as medical waste can be collected and disposed of in an organized way. The CutToPro project aims at the recovery of a secondary raw material (Cutin) from an agri-food waste through a green purification process, and the reintegration of the cutin in a production cycle transforming it into a tissue-non-woven to be used in biomedical field. The CutToPro project therefore has a dual purpose in terms of circularity: i) the recovery (upcycling) of food waste, to be reintegrated into the production cycle, with both environmental and economic advantages, and ii) the prevention of highly polluting waste. Indeed, through ecodesign at the design stage it will be possible to limit the production of plastic medical devices that have a high environmental impact. The CutToPro project is funded by Cariplo: Cutin from Tomato-peel waste: green source for plurality of engineered polymer products (CutToPro)” – Rif. Pratica 2021-0651 – Bando 2021 – “Economia Circolare: ricerca per un futuro sostenibile”.
Keywords – Circular economy, agri-food waste, biopolymer, biomedical products