Bionanotechnology & Bioeconomy for a Greener Development

Abstract

According to Europe 2020 strategy, a sustainable, more competitive, and greener economy is regarded as development that meets the today needs without compromising the needs of the future generations. The new green growth is to be based on a low carbon, climate resilient, and resource-efficient economy, minimizing waste and pollution and protecting-restoring the earth ecosystem. In addition a green economy can create new jobs trying to solve both the EU problem of youth unemployment and the preservation of natural resources by the use of waste material from animal and plant biomass. Young people, in fact, are the group most adaptable to the changes, easily accepting jobs in the new and unexplored areas of bionanotechnologies, by the use of industrial by-products representing ~300 billion/year of unused available and precious raw materials. Thus, the green economy has been recognized as a potential source of employment and a contributor to economic recovery, representing both a challenge and an opportunity for the labour market and the environment preservation. MAVI as producer of Chitin Nanofibrils (CN), obtained from the crustacean waste by a green technology, has been involved in different EU research projects to produce innovative biocomposites for pharmaceutical and cosmetic use and/or food packaging. By the Biomimetic project (www.biomimetic-eu-project.eu/) innovative emulsions and non-oven beauty masks have been realized; by Chitofarma (www.mavicosmetics.it) advanced medications have been made by biodegradable nonwoven tissues; by n-Chitopack (www.n-Chitopack.eu) different food packaging have been made completely biodegradable and compostable. It is to underline that all the projects, based on the production of green biocomposites, have been based on the use of crystal-CN and other natural polymers, all obtained from waste material by a low consume of energy and water, according to the EU,
OECD, and UNEP guidelines. The origin of chitin and its crystallinity has determined, in fact, the structure, morphology and the particular properties of CN used as filler, as well as the other bio-based polymers have represented the matrix of the composites obtained into the university of Pisa. In conclusion the different green products resulting from the projects will be shown by this paper, focusing the discussion on the present necessity for a sustainable development. A green economy in fact, implies not only a right economic, social and environmental development but also a bettering of the quality of life, through education and training in line with labour market demands, and human knowledge. At this purpose it is to remember that a young-looking is psychologically connected with the necessity to show a healthy appearance also. Thus, a healthy and beauty body, as well as an increased and ameliorated education is one of the priorities of the EU 2020 strategy, along with labour productivity growth, lower unemployment, better insertion of young people in the labour market, increasing public participation in education, and lifelong learning. Recent EU studies reported, in fact, that by 2020 2.8 million jobs are expected to be created by the green economy.