Project description
Closing the loop in the plastic life cycle
Recycling is necessary to overcome the challenges of climate change. Unfortunately, only 20 % of plastics produced are recycled. This is mainly due to difficulties in the recycling process that include the presence of contaminants or other mixes in plastic waste. This leads to large amounts of plastic waste being incinerated or landfilled, causing serious environmental impacts. The EU-funded PLASTICE project aims to tackle this issue. To do so, it will develop and design four innovative technologies (cascade enzymatic hydrolysis; combined gasification and chemical post-treatment; hydrothermal liquefaction; and microwave assisted pyrolysis) to assess the valorisation processes which will be further validated in industrial environments. This will help bring about a sustainable closed-loop value chain for plastics.
Objective
Nowadays, only 20% of the whole plastic production is recycled due to barriers such as the presence of complex fractions in the waste streams including contaminants or multilayer materials or the mix of plastics with other types of waste that cannot be sorted in a feasible way. This situation implies a high environmental impact when plastic waste is landfilled or incinerated, so new solutions other than mechanical recycling must be developed to significantly increase the amount of plastics being valorized into new feedstocks.
PLASTICE was conceived to solve this need by developing a set of new valorization processes that are aligned with the most relevant roadmaps of chemical recycling technologies at European level. Therefore, main efforts will be devoted to the design, development and demonstration under real conditions together with EU waste managers of four valorization technologies: (i) MW-assisted pyrolysis; (ii) hydrothermal liquefaction; (iii) Combined gasification and chemical post-treatment and (iv) Cascade enzymatic hydrolysis.
Moreover, PLASTICE overall approach will deploy innovative elements along the whole value chain with the objective of integrating green technologies for the new processes to become sustainable and closing the loop to deliver circular value chains around plastics (including textiles with plastic content). Therefore, PLASTICE works both upstream and downstream the valorization processes, integrating new sorting systems, quality upgrading technologies, digitalization tools and eco-design principles together with new business models linked to each step of the circular value chains.
Following this approach, PLASTICE will impact on the amount of landfilled plastics and GHG emissions linked to process operation and fossil fuels-based feedstock. Its replication will be supported by contributing to the development of new standards and regulations, and by creating a community of followers supported by PLASTICE tools and consortium.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- natural scienceschemical sciencesphysical chemistrythermochemistry
- natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysis
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
50018 Zaragoza
Spain
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Participants (24)
28031 Madrid
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41089 Dos Hermanas
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1012WX Amsterdam
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33007 Oviedo
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
00128 Roma
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00185 Roma
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84087 Sarno Sa
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
06034 FOLIGNO
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
7181 Seneffe
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
92400 Courbevoie
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
2030 Antwerpen
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92230 Gennevilliers
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1070 BRUXELLES
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
4600 Wels
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2170 Antwerpen
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5400 Hallein
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16159 Bursa
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35860 İzmir
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33203 Gijon
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106 82 ATHINA
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16129 Genova
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08036 Barcelona
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01115 Bellignat
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26900 Lodi
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