EUBCE 2026 - Laura TRONCI - Valorization of Brewers’ Spent Grain Into Six- and Eight-Membered Cyclic Esters

Valorization of Brewers’ Spent Grain Into Six- and Eight-Membered Cyclic Esters

Short Introductive summary

This work, carried out within the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)-funded POLYMEER project, demonstrates the conversion of brewers’ spent grain (BSG) into high-value lactone monomers and cyclic diolides for bio-based polymers, copolymers, and polymer blends. Efficient, multi-step synthetic pathways were implemented using BSG-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) as a renewable building block, employing green, waste-minimized protocols and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts. In parallel, an efficient fractionation protocol of BSG provided a cellulose-rich fraction leading to high-purity cellulose, a known precursor of 5-HMF, supporting the integrated valorization of this industrial byproduct and the development of a sustainable polymers value chain.

L. Tronci, University of Perugia, ITALY
D. Lanari, University of Perugia, ITALY
O. Marconi, University of Perugia, ITALY
A. Marrocchi, University of Perugia, ITALY