Project description
From plastic waste streams to valuable resources
The plastic industry faces an environmental crisis due to its conventional linear business model, which generates an alarming amount of waste. The challenge lies in effectively recycling complex waste streams composed of diverse polymers, co-polymers, and non-melting plastics, resulting in landfill disposal or incineration. Since these solutions are environmentally unsustainable, new regulations and EU directives seek to restrict such practices. In this context, the EU-funded WInScale project introduces an innovative approach. By harnessing the remarkable abilities of the greater wax moth, it has developed a scalable vertical farming process that transforms polymeric materials into valuable proteins, lipids, and biofertilisers. This initiative aims to establish an environmentally-sound and commercially successful facility.
Objective
The traditional linear plastic industry business model results in an ever-growing amount of accumulated waste which contributes significantly to the negative environmental impact of the global plastic industry. One of the biggest issues concerning the recycling of used polymeric materials, packaging, textile, furniture, is the handling of complex waste streams consisting of mixtures, co-polymers, and other recalcitrant materials, such as thermosets (non-melting plastics, foams), that can be only burned or disposed of on the landfills. Yet, neither of these solutions is acceptable from the environmental point of view, therefore the new regulations and EU directives aim to limit these methods.
We have developed a novel approach towards handling of complex plastic waste streams, where there is no available recycling alternative, thanks to under patent technologies. The approach is based on one specific insect, Galleria mellonella, the greater wax moth, and we have developed a scalable vertical farming process that enables the insects to digest and transform polymeric materials into proteins, lipids and biofertilizers. The long-term goal of this developed process is an environmentally-sound and commercially-successful transformation facility.
WINSCALE focuses on the scaling up of the transformation process. Namely, it focuses on the biochemical and technological development of the solution applied to two specifically difficult waste streams: sludge coming from the waste treating companies and polyurethane foam coming from matrass recycling facilities.
WINSCALE enables the overall improvement of the investor readiness of the developed solution, contributes to the creation of new, cross-sectoral value chains of waste transformation to added value products, thus promoting European competitiveness in the knowledge-based modern economy and women’s leadership in the deep tech industry.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences polyurethane
- engineering and technology materials engineering textiles
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.2 - European innovation ecosystems
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIE-2022-SCALEUP-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
177 32 Jarfalla
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.