The Institute of Analytical Chemistry led by Prof. Matysik has long standing experiences in microbiology (isotope incorporation, growth, purification) and molecular biology (mutations of amino acids) of photosynthetic reaction centres and photoreceptor proteins, in particular of phytochromes. In the area of polymer biotechnology, the functionalization and degradation of synthetic polymers using biocatalysts has been a focus of Prof. Zimmermann’s research since 2003. Studies on the biocatalytic modification and degradation of PET and other synthetic polymers have resulted in the identification of novel microbial polyester hydrolases. Their suitability for the surface functionalization of PET fibres in the textile industry and for the recycling of PET plastic waste has been demonstrated. UL will be responsible for leading research activities in WP1.

The SynBio and Evolution lab led by Dr. Jimenez focuses on experimental and theoretical study of complexity in biotic systems. In recent years, research activities have addressed the interplay between synthetic circuits and pathways and the bacterial hosts used for gene expression, as well as the evolutionary dynamics of microbial populations for health and environmental applications. The laboratory has studied couplings between ecology and evolution of microbial communities arising from molecular interventions in species forming part of those ecosystems. The lab has a strong track record in the biodegradation of pollutants containing aromatic building blocks. As such, the Jimenez lab has a strong interest in analyzing the emergence or adaptation of traits for degradation of new-to-nature polymers such as PET. ICL will be in charge of the coordination of the project and will lead the activities detailed in WP2.

The Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB) of the RWTH Aachen (since 2011 led by Prof. L. M. Blank) has a long track record on microbial quantitative physiology and biocatalysis, including metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production and purification of chemicals and utilization of biomass-derived substrates. The research carried out at the iAMB further includes genetic optimization and development of a microbial chassis for the synthesis of glycolipids. Prof. Blank’s group has extensive experience with P. putida biotechnology, including all the necessary equipment and expertise for analyzing bacterial growth and production of secondary metabolites in bioreactors. In addition, the iAMB runs an excellent fermentation laboratory, and fermentations with P. putida have already successfully been dealt with. The iAMB runs a well-equipped analytical department. Apart from three standard HPLCs (UV, RI, ion exchange chromatography) for the quantification of sugars, alcohols, organic acids, etc. they have three reversed-phase HPLC systems with DAD, CAD, and ELSD detectors. Furthermore, they have four GC systems coupled to FID, MS and triple quadrupole MS detectors. RWTH will lead the research activities detailed in WP3.

The Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology research group, led by Dr. Manuel Porcar and Juli Peretó, is located in the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (UV-CSIC). They work on different aspects of applied microbiology, performing bioprospection in extreme natural or artificial environments, searching for bacteria, genes and enzymes with potential industrial developments. The group has experience in NGS techniques applied to determine the taxonomic profile of natural samples as well as their metabolic and functional traits by metagenomics analysis. They also have previous experience in multi-omic analyses (genomic, transcriptomics and metabolomics), metabolic modelling, and responsible research and innovation actions, which are relevant for the present proposal. UV will be responsible for the research activities detailed in WP4.

The SOPREMA-Mutaxio initiative is spearheading R&D efforts of the SOPREMA group towards more sustainable biomaterials. It is a research laboratory shared by CNRS/University of Strasbourg (Bioteam led by Prof. Luc Averous) and SOPREMA, worldwide leader on PU-based building insulation materials with 7,200 employees worldwide and EUR 8 billion turnover in 2018. They expect a direct impact on the recycling strategies of waste materials from their PU foam production line for the first time and the PU foam from building renovation. The PET and PU-depolymerisation products can be a new source of raw materials and other monomers of biological origin can be applied for the development of new PET/PU hybrid foams or coatings with interesting properties. SOPREMA & CNRS have more than 10 years-worth of mutual projects and are co-inventors of 7 patent families. SOPREMA will be responsible for the synthesis of new Bio-PU polymers and will lead the activities shown in WP5.