Imagine if we could treat bioplastics like Lego bricks, breaking them down and rebuilding them into high-quality products instead of just throwing them away. This project creates a set of industrial 'sorting and cleaning' stations across Europe to prove that these materials can be recycled efficiently. It's like building a professional recycling highway for plastics that are meant to be compostable but often end up in landfills.
Biobased plastics are often seen as non-recyclable, making it hard for companies to justify switching from fossil-based plastics. There is a lack of industrial-scale evidence that these materials can be recovered and reused without losing quality.
Three operational recycling hubs (NL, IT, ES) integrating NIR sorting, mechanical, chemical (TORWASH), and enzymatic recycling processes.
If you are a packaging manufacturer dealing with the lack of recycling infrastructure for PLA and PHA — this project developed a portfolio of sorting and recycling technologies that can produce recycled polymers of the same or superior grade. This allows for the creation of multi-use packaging like SULAPAC.
If you are a waste processor dealing with contaminated bioplastic streams — this project developed NIR-detection for bioplastic separation in mixed waste. This enables the efficient sorting of materials like Mater-Bi to be sent to specialized recycling hubs.
If you are a brand owner dealing with the high cost of virgin bio-polymers — this project developed chemical and enzymatic recycling to create durable products like ARAPAHA. It proves that recycled bioplastics can meet industrial grade specifications.
The project operates three hubs: the NL hub targets 500 kg each of PLA/PHA, the IT hub targets 600 kg of mixed composites, and the ES hub targets 250 kg of mechanically recycled bioplastic.
Based on available project data, specific pricing or cost-per-ton figures for the recycling processes are not provided.
Based on available project data, the project involves specific technologies like TORWASH and NOVAMONT, but licensing terms are not detailed.
The project has successfully implemented Near-infrared (NIR) detection to separate bioplastics from mixed waste streams.
The project period runs from 2024-10-01 to 2028-09-30, aiming to reach demo scale by the end of this period.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with a 70% industry ratio, comprising 14 industrial partners including 9 SMEs. This high concentration of commercial players, combined with 3 universities and 2 research centers across 7 countries, suggests a strong focus on commercial viability and market uptake rather than pure academic research.
Contact University College Dublin for partnership inquiries.
Contact us to identify the right industrial partner for bioplastic upcycling.
