15/07/2020

PLAST2bCLEANED celebrates its first year of research!

A year has passed since ELIX Polymers, together with 9 other international companies, started the PLAST2bCLEANED research. For two days, June 23 and 24, the PLAST2bCLEANED consortium partners were reunited in an online meeting to commemorate the date, perform an overview of the milestones achieved, and take a look together at the future ahead.

ELIX is the only ABS manufacturing company from Europe included in this initiative, along with companies such as Electrolux, Juchheim, Campine, ICL, Fraunhofer, TNO, Gaiker, Coolrec and Sustainable Innovations.

Toni Prunera, Head of Business Development and R&D/IP and Maria Romeu, Environmental Technician, attended on behalf of ELIX Polymers.

On the one hand, Gaiker, the company responsible for preprocess: sensing and sorting, presented, among other things, the equipment they are using in the laboratory, which is already set up and calibrated: the RAMAN spectrometers.

On the other hand, TNO, as the leaders of process development: dissolution and recovery, explained that they have already defined the reference samples, established the experimental procedure and recovered the products analysed, as well as investigating the first filtration characteristics.

For their part, Fraunhofer ICT is just starting with the process system integration and scaleup expected from this month 12.

Coolrec, as the leaders of work package 4 related to performance testing of process and products, explained that they have established the procedure for X-ray fluorescence: sampling and testing. In addition​, their chemical analysis was chosen for the assessment of different parameters and the target for upgrade was defined.

Regarding the environmental and economic assessment, also carried out by TNO, a first screening life cycle assessment was performed.

Sustainable Innovations was in charge of presenting the advancement in terms of Key Performance Indicators established at the beginning of the project for dissemination and they also organised a workshop to explore possible operating routes and target markets.

Lastly, TNO presented updates regarding the management and coordination of the project and the status of the ethics requirements.

Juchheim, ICL Group, Electrolux, and ELIX Polymers also participated actively in the discussions as consortium partners.

“It is a pleasure to participate in this project that contemplates contributing to the circular economy in the plastics sector”, affirms Toni Prunera.

In regard to the meeting, Maria Romeu commented “Although we were not able to join face-to-face, that didn’t stop us from making a virtual visit to our coordinator TNO’s facilities in Delft. It was really interesting”.

ELIX Polymers will continue to participate in sector initiatives that seek to deal with these issues, in defence of the circular economy and its vital importance in protecting the environment.

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