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A Wood-to-Wood Cascade Upcycling Valorisation Approach

Project description

Wood waste valorisation approach for the future circular economy

Various sectors heavily rely on wood products, leading to an increased demand for virgin materials. However, the valorisation of wood waste can play a crucial role in facilitating the transition towards a circular economy. The EU-funded W2W project aims to establish a framework for the multi-dimensional cascade valorisation of wood sourced from construction and demolition sites, as well as furniture waste. This framework encompasses adaptive separation and sorting techniques, upcycling processes and technologies, a life cycle assessment tool, supply chain management strategies, a digital product passport, and an information exchange platform. Through its holistic approach, W2W seeks to diminish the need for virgin materials, reduce waste sent to landfills and incineration facilities, and foster the principles of a circular economy.

Objective

The W2W project will produce and validate a comprehensive framework for multi-dimensional cascade valorisation of wood from C&D and furniture waste, consisting of four core components: 1) Advanced separation & sorting technologies: Adaptive Separation and Sorting system based on cascade valorisation thresholds, making use of human-robot collaboration and mixed reality technologies
2) Upcycling Processes and Technologies: mechanical, chemical, and bioremediation processes to recover wood or resources from waste and use them in new products which have the same quality as the ones produced by primary resources3) Digital Tools for Improving Circular Flows of Secondary Materials: LCA-based tool to predict and assess the impact of different cascade paths, Supply Chain Management Tool for the optimisation of upcycling of secondary materials, Digital Product Passport, and Digital Platform for circularity/upcycling information exchange.4) Supportive Framework in Policy, Market, and Skills: Framework for CDW Cascade Valorisation, Harmonised Waste Wood Classification Framework, skills development, contribution to standards and certification schemes, business models.
W2W will demonstrate efficient and sustainable value chains in 3 Use Cases for the production of: wood without pollutants; biocomposite building materials; biopolymers; polyols; chemical detergents; and the recovery of nutrients, through the use of technologies and tools that allow the selection of optimal cascade paths for further uses of wood products and their materials.The W2W holistic approach will reduce the demand for virgin materials, reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or incineration facilities, allow for the creation of new value-added products from waste materials, and support the transition towards a circular economy by promoting closed-loop systems where materials are continually repurposed and reused, extending their useful life.

Coordinator

EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTON
Net EU contribution
€ 1 780 025,00
Address
PATISION 42
106 82 ATHINA
Greece

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