The European partners in the REPLACER research project met in Leipzig on 19 May 2026 to conclude the funding period.
The meeting took place at the IOM (Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering), where participants from academia and industry gathered to discuss the project’s results and future prospects.
The project partners presented the current status of their research and development work in a series of specialist presentations. The IOM demonstrated how various nonwoven materials, combined with recycled plastics, were tested to achieve optimal porosity and surface structure for microbial colonization. Scientists from Leipzig University presented their test results on identifying bacterial consortia that produce the most efficient biomass. Another milestone was the successful scaling up and optimization of the HLM bioreactors. The developed prototypes demonstrate that the technology can also function in a larger-scale setup – a stepping stone towards industrial application.
The Romanian industrial partner Holisun presented a data analysis tool adapted to the project that, with the support of machine learning, can evaluate and quantify the productivity of the biomass produced. Researchers from the University of Latvia presented their conclusions on the sustainability and economic viability of the new materials, with a view to advancing technological and market readiness.
