Sustainable electro chemistry based on raw material from pulp and paper industry’s residual products

Important results from the project

** Denna text är maskinöversatt ** The project has shown that it is possible to use residual streams from the paper industry to produce melanin. The melanin from this production has also shown a certain electrochemical activity, but the charge density has not been high enough for it to be used in electrodes in, for example, electrochemical energy storage. More processing of the melanin and purification from organic material is required to be able to be used in such applications.

Expected long term effects

** Denna text är maskinöversatt ** The E.coli bacteria grows well on all three residual streams tested. The melanin that was then produced showed weak redox activity, but the charge density was too low to be used for electrodes for electrochemical energy storage. The global market value in 2018 was USD 92.2 million with an expected strong growth. This is a first study around using melanin from organic material in electrochemical application, electrode applications require clean materials, considering this the results are promising.

Approach and implementation

The residual streams from the pulp industry were characterized by measuring the growth curve for E.coli in the streams and analyzing the obtained glucose content of the streams. The most promising residual stream was used to grow E.coli on a larger scale and for the production of melanin. The melanin´s electrochemical properties were then analyzed by cyclic voltammetry to measure the redox properties as well as measurement of the charge density of the material. Some attempts have also been made to purify the melanin from the organic material to improve the electrochemical properties

External links

BioInnovations webbsida för pågående projekt.