ENVIRONMENT

Doing your part?

Here’s how you can reduce your plastic consumption

Marina Trajkovich

WITH the COVID crisis dramatically increasing plastic waste worldwide, this years Plastic Free July campaign is perhaps the most important yet, with Australians urged to think about plastic waste and how to make more environmentally conscious decisions.

Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder and executive director of Plastic Free July and the Plastic Free Foundation, says that with the COVID pandemic sparking an increase in single-use plastics like PPE masks, plastic gloves and hand sanitiser, plastic waste pollution remains an important issue.

“Our waste disposal and recycling efforts are fighting a tide of new plastic waste that is being created every day,” said Ms Prince-Ruiz.

“If we only start to manage plastic waste once it is in the bin, we’re not going to fix the problem. Every person can be part of the solution, and every action counts towards this shared goal.”

Last year, 300 million Plastic Free July participants saved approximately 21kg of waste and together contributed to 900 million kilograms of plastic waste avoided worldwide, with 85% of participants creating sustainable habits that extended past the July 31st finish line.

The Plastic Free July website contains several tips for reducing your single use plastics consumptions everyday, contributing to a more sustainable future and healthier planet.

CONNECT NOW:

For more tips on reducing plastic waste, visit www. plasticfreejuly.org/getinvolved/what-you-can-do/

Tips for minimising or curbing your plastic consumption

BRING REUSABLES

• Bring a reusable coffee cup or dine in at your favourite coffee shop to minimise the impact of disposable coffee cups. Keep your reusable coffee cup in a place you won’t forget it, like on your desk at work or in your bag. • A reusable water bottle will also stop you from buying single-use plastic bottles. • Reusable shopping bags are another way to reduce your plastics footprint, and by

making the switch, you could save around 500 plastic bags per year from entering oceans and landfills. • Opt for a fabric face mask instead of a regular PPE mask.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

• Make conscious decisions to buy food and products without excess packagings. If you see fruit and veggies wrapped in plastic, opt for the waste-free option. • Think about your shopping habits and support brands making a conscious effort to cut down their waste or use recycled materials.

SIMPLE SWAPS

• Milk, stock, and juice cartons contain a mix of plastic, paper and foil, which are difficult to recycle. By choosing glass packaging alternatives or making your own juice and stock, you can cut down on

packaging waste. • Having a party? Plastic balloons are an environmental no-no, but reusable lanterns, tassels, and flowers can make a beautiful and eco-conscious alternative. • Many beauty products now come in bar form, reducing plastic waste like soap, shampoo and conditioner. • Bulk food shopping or purchasing loose items available will reduce your plastic packaging footprint.

MicroBioGen reports technology breakthrough in 2G biofuels

Unique yeast strain converts non-food biomass to bioethanol and food, reduces emissions

MicroBioGen

IN a major technological breakthrough, Australian biotech company MicroBioGen has successfully demonstrated the production of both high-protein food and low carbon bioethanol from non-food material using a single biological agent.

The breakthrough follows 15 years of research and development in MicroBioGen’s high-tech laboratories in Sydney to enhance a geneticallymodified version of the common yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

It comes as the Federal Government steps up its effort to source new and innovative technologies to help achieve a netzero-carbon economy. MicroBioGen’s technology, developed in Australia in collaboration with its global partner Novozymes, provides a technological solution to the problem of producing low-carbon fuels while also increasing food production.

Funded in part with a $4 million grant from the Federal Government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), MicroBioGen’s work will boost the role of second-generation (2G) biofuels in reducing carbon emissions and improving food security by enabling food and fuel production from abundant, low-value waste plant material.

MicroBioGen CEO Geoff Bell said the company’s project was a game-changer that dramatically improved the commercial viability and environmental performance of biofuels.

“For the first time ever, a single yeast strain – optimised using our proprietary technology – can produce both clean fuel and food from non-food biomass,” Mr Bell said.

Overcoming key barriers to 2G biofuels

crops into fuel. This limits both the production volumes and the amount of CO2 that can be removed from the atmosphere. Currently, the liquid waste stream provides little or no economic nor environmental benefits. 2G ethanol is produced from agricultural waste products such as timber offcuts, crop residues or waste sugarcane pulp (bagasse). As this material is difficult and relatively costly to break down into component sugars, progress in commercialising 2G technology using conventional yeasts has been slow. Converting waste streams into higher-value products economically has also remained challenging.

MicroBioGen’s yeast agent overcomes these barriers, converting both hard-tocatalyse sugars derived from non-food substrates into biofuel, and waste by-product into a high-value food source.

“The unique properties of our yeast allow it to convert the biomass sugars to biofuels more efficiently, where other yeasts struggle. Crucially, our optimised yeast can then grow on its own waste stream, converting this waste to a high-value protein suitable as an animal feed,” Mr Bell said.

“Our process is shown to be less costly, use less energy and produce fewer emissions than other comparable 2G biofuel processes. The food produced also uses significantly less land than equivalent production elsewhere.

“And by capturing CO2 generated during the process, we take carbon out of the atmosphere. It’s a virtuous cycle - the more biofuel we create, the more food we produce and the more carbon we remove. We’re replacing fossil fuels and adding to food security,” he said.

Global export market opportunity beckons

to reduce the cost of 2G biofuel production and boost its performance on key sustainability metrics. MicroBioGen’s yeast achieved on average between 97% and 99% against each of the 13 success criteria established for the project.

A peer-reviewed analysis of the research findings[1] found that 2G biofuel manufacture using MicroBioGen’s yeast strain and process, compared with benchmark commercial 2G yeast strains, reduced CO2 emissions by 29%, fossil energy use by 11% and water use by 75%. It also established that the food created from sugarcane bagasse in MicroBioGen’s production process would be the equivalent of 2.4 times the food of crops grown elsewhere[2]. The results exclude the additional potential benefits from sequestering CO2.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said: “ARENA is delighted to have supported MicroBioGen’s project. The research represents highquality Australian innovation and a step forward in the commercial viability of 2G biofuel. MicroBioGen’s work opens up new possibilities for biofuels as a sustainable energy source and, potentially, significant new export markets for Australia.”

Mr Bell added: “Having established the improved commercial viability of a 2G fuel-and-feed biorefinery, the MicroBioGen team is now focused on the global commercial opportunity arising from our technology. We will be working with Novozymes to trial the new optimised strains and bring them to market as soon as possible. It is our hope that the macro, micro and regulatory conditions in Australia will support the deployment of this worldleading technology locally.”