CEPHAWA

PHA-cellulose composites with simultaneous water recovery to increase cellulose-processing circularity

01/03/2026 to 28/02/2029

The growing demand for sustainable materials is turning attention to cellulose-based materials: biodegradable, renewable, and abundantly available in industrial side streams: from pulp and paper to textile processes and even municipal wastewater, whose organic carbon consists of 20-30% cellulose. Yet much of this resource remains unused. At the same time, the sector is under pressure: high water demand (2-10 m3 per ton), energy use, and emissions. Roughly a quarter of the global pulp and paper industry is based in Europe, with Germany leading EU paper production. Industrial wastewater from these processes is cellulose-rich and hot, challenging to treat, yet ideally suited to circular value creation.