FURENPOL general objective is to provide experimental proof of concept (TRL3) and lab-scale technological validation (TRL4) to the biological (i) synthesis and (ii) recycling of biobased furanic polymers supported by computationally-aided bioprospecting and engineering of ad hoc oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes.

- New computational methodologies for in silico bioprospecting and designing the next generation of hydrolytic (PEF esterases and related PluriZymes) and oxidative (HMF oxidases) enzymes with improved activity on furanic precursors and polymers, also of interest in the field of other plastic polymers. - New enzymatic biocatalysts (from gene expression after genome bioprospecting and computationally-guided engineering) for efficient: i) FDCA production from HMF with optimized activity in the rate-limiting reaction; and ii) depolymerization of PEF materials for - FDCA reuse in a circular economy concept. - Optimized fermentation strategies for the new PEF esterases/PluriZymes and HMF oxidases enabling their production with the efficiency and economy conditions required for a future industrial application. - New bioprocesses for the synthesis of FDCA and other (HMF derived) furanic building blocks replacing chemical synthesis with advantages in terms of reaction efficiency and specificity (byproduct-free transformation), energy consumption, environmental friendliness, and economy. - New enzymatic technology for selective recycling of polyester furanic plastics enabling the mild and careful recovery of building blocks for a circular bioeconomy, in contrast to less selective chemical recycling. - Availability of a new generation of “greener” plastics (PEF and other furanic polymers included) by the combined use of biomass raw materials together with mild biotechnological reagents.