The intersectoral and multidisciplinary research project »Circular Plastics Network for Training (C-PlaNeT)« was approved in May 2019 as part of the H2020- MSCA-ITN-2019 call for European Joint Doctorates with funding totalling almost €4 million.
A total of 15 doctoral students from 8 European universities from the fields of chemistry, process engineering, sociology and economics, together with 23 non-university partners (including Plastics Europe, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, DOW, Adidas), will take up the challenge of analysing the complex topic of the circular economy of plastics from a holistic perspective.
The Fraunhofer IVV is involved in cooperation with the Chair of Flavour and Odour Research at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. Project start at the beginning of 2020.
„I see the analytical detection and removal of contaminants in particular as a key challenge in recycling. Our modern world is complex, and so are its products and waste streams. Only knowledge of molecules and substances can help us to guarantee the production of high-quality materials in recycling. And based on this knowledge, we need to optimise various process steps in terms of their decontamination efficiency.“
Prof Andrea Büttner, Deputy Institute Director and Head of the Analytical Sensor Technology Department at the Fraunhofer IVV
Solvent-based processes - a key to decontamination in recycling
With the development of the solvent-based CreaSolv® Processes clean separation of plastic composites and contaminated household waste has already been realised at the Fraunhofer IVV in the past. The technology is suitable for obtaining high-purity plastics with virgin material quality.
„The challenge now is to adapt the technology to other areas of application, such as plastic waste from the sea.“
Dr Martin Schlummer, the lead scientist for the Fraunhofer IVV in the C-PlaNeT consortium
Detection of chemical contaminants as a further challenge
So that recyclates from post-consumer plastic packaging waste can be reused as a secondary raw material in high-quality consumer products, it must also be possible in future to check in the recycling process whether any interfering substances are still present. It is therefore of great interest to develop a suitable online sensor system for detecting contaminants. However, chemical diagnostics are still underrepresented in recycling.
Together with Fraunhofer IIS as another non-university partner, the consortium therefore also wants to Identify possible paths in chemical detection. The partners Fraunhofer IVV, Fraunhofer IIS and the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg are the driving forces behind the initiative, particularly when it comes to detecting odorous substances. Campus of the senses We are in an excellent position to tackle these complex challenges together.
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
