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Raw materials become high-value bioeconomy goods at an Amazon science park

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BELÉM, Brazil — Two white-coated lab technicians, surrounded by whirring machines and sterile workstations, drip liquids into beakers and analyze data on computer screens. A collection of Amazonian fruits and seeds are spread out on a lab bench. In front are mini bottles of essential oils extracted from these resources. Behind them are sheets of bioplastic that could be future plastic alternatives. These are the creations of the Amazon Oils Laboratory, LOA, which produces natural oils and butters from plants and seeds found in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest for use in foods, cosmetics and health products for several large national and multinational companies. They also develop bioplastics and biofuels from oil extraction waste, which can amount to up to five times the oil produced. “We’ve been investigating ways to promote the production of biodiesel from alternative sources, such as inedible oils or those with limited use in human food,” Luís Adriano Nascimento, a chemist and vice coordinator at the LOA, told Mongabay. “It’s a circular economy, making the most of all this potential. It’s waste that can be turned into an income.” It’s just one example of research and developments from the Guamá Science and Technology Park (PCT) in Belém in the state of Pará. The park’s 12 laboratories, or research and development centers, are a hub of applied research exploring all sorts of forest-based solutions for market demands and supporting sustainable entrepreneurship across a wide range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, technology, cosmetics and energy. “The idea is to have…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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