Upgrading of cellulose fibers into porous materials

Project Information

BreadCell

Grant agreement ID: 964430

DOI

10.3030/964430

Project closed

EC signature date 20 January 2021

Start date 1 April 2021

End date 31 March 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Total cost

€ 3 000 000,00

EU contribution

€ 3 000 000,00

Coordinated by

CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOGSKOLA AB
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - BreadCell (Upgrading of cellulose fibers into porous materials)

Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The major challenge to reduce consequences of climate change, microplastic pollution and raw material shortages is to convert our economic system. We need to replace fossil-based resources by renewable ones, replace persistent materials by biodegradables while developing and employing environmentally friendly processing technologies to create safe products. A real impact on economy, society and ecology is only generated if the materials, processes and products to be replaced are in large scale. In BreadCell, we have developed a radically new technology to produce porous lightweight low-density materials. BreadCell technology comprises a foaming process to create products relying on existing and new bio-based raw materials and to convert them to high value, lightweight, energy-absorbing and load-transferring composites. We have demonstrated use areas in sports and provide an assessment of application potential in mobility such as in safety components of cars. The manufacturing process and the product is guided by safe-by-design principles ensuring the production of sustainable and inherently safe products.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In BreadCell the team have established bio-based foams with a fibrillar network structure.
- The foams are strong and show potential in adsorbing energy in sports, where we have manufactured demonstrators of a penny board, a protective helmet and a body board. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DTmNm8yT00.
- Factsheet about foam properties gives an overview of the achievable properties https://breadcell.eu/images/media/factsheets.pdf.
- We have elaborated on the use in bicycle helmets and the information is available publicly https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024168211?via%3Dihub and we provide an evaluation of use in automotive sector https://breadcell.eu/images/media/D51.pdf
- We have published 16 scientific contributions within the project: https://breadcell.eu/dissemination/publications.
- The work was guided by prioritising on safety and sustainability and the BreadCell foams haven shown to be bio-based, biodegradable, non-toxic and recyclable as paper. Safety and sustainability analysis https://breadcell.eu/images/media/ssb.pdf

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Climate change, microplastic pollution and raw material shortages require fundamental changes to the existing economic system. The replacement of fossil fuel resources and persistent materials with renewable energy and biodegradables, respectively, and the development of environmentally friendly technologies emerge as the most viable alternative. The EU-funded BreadCell project develops a pioneering technology to produce porous lightweight low-density materials that are massively used in industries and mainly consist of non-degradable polymers. The technology includes a foaming process that creates products from new and existing raw materials from pulping and converts them into high-value, energy-absorbing and lightweight composites. The production of sustainable and safe products will be guaranteed by safe-by-design principles guiding the entire process chain.

Today, the innovation capacity of European scientists and industry in the area of renewable materials makes them already the leading global players in the field. We will provide a scalable technology that will further support the European technological leadership in the area by cross-fertilization of different fields (pulp and paper, biotechnology, polymer technology, toxicity) while addressing needs of future materials.

BreadCell penny board

BreadCell logo

BreadCell helmet

BreadCell bodyboard