The project aims at recycling municipal bio-waste using the example of green waste. For this purpose, the use of green waste as raw material in fermentations and its conversion into electrode material for the electro-biotechnology are being studied. Both products are to be used further on in the context of green chemistry.

The utilization of green waste as a raw material for the production of basic and fine chemicals represents an interesting step towards increased added value. In addition to its previous use in biogas plants or composting, the raw material green waste could be used for a variety of applications within a biorefinery. Particularly noteworthy is that green waste can be processed in a less energy-intensive way compared to heavily lignified raw materials. The industrial implementation of the developed concept would lead to the connection of municipal material streams to the chemical industry.

Electro-biotechnology generally aims at the development of energy and resource efficient processes to generate energy and basic chemicals. The processes can be divided into microbial fuel cells (MFC) for energy conversion and microbial and enzymatic electro synthesis (MES or EES) for the production of substances. The availability of efficient and cost-effective electrodes is a crucial factor for the success of these processes. However, these are currently not yet available. By carbonizing municipal waste materials such as green waste, correspondingly inexpensive electrode materials are to be produced and evaluated with regard to their applicability in MFCs and MES. If successful, results can lead to new, more efficient electro-biotechnological processes.