Objective The demand for biobased polymers is growing fast. According to the current state of the art, metal-containing catalysts are needed to improve the polymerisation rate of lactones, posing a hazard to health and the environment. InnoREX will develop a novel reactor concept using alternative energies for the continuous, highly precise, metal-free polymerisation of PLA.In InnoREX, metal-containing catalysts will be replaced by organic catalysts. These have been shown to efficiently control the polymerisation of lactide, but their activity must still be improved to meet industrial standards. This will be achieved by the low-intensity but highly-targeted application of alternative energies (microwaves, ultrasound, laser light). These energies increase catalyst activity and enable precise control of the reaction by exciting only small parts of the reaction mixture without response time.To ensure short market entry times commercially well-established co-rotating twin screw extruders will be used as reaction vessels. The reason commercial polymerisations are not yet carried out in twin screw extruders is the short residence time and the static energy input of the extruder, which allows no dynamic control of the reaction. Again, these obstacles will be overcome in InnoREX. The project will utilise the rapid response time of microwaves, ultrasound and laser light to achieve a precisely-controlled and efficient continuous polymerisation of high molecular weight PLA in a twin screw extruder. Additionally, significant energy savings will be achieved by combining polymerisation, compounding and shaping in one production step.For a deepened scientific and engineering understanding of the reaction, the effect of the alternative energies on the reaction kinetics and the potential applications for alternative energies in reactive extrusion, offline chemical and polymer analytics and online characterisation and simulation of the process within the reactor will be carried out. Fields of science engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplasticspolylactic acidengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energynatural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesnatural scienceschemical sciencescatalysisnatural sciencesphysical sciencesacousticsultrasound Programme(s) FP7-NMP - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies Topic(s) NMP.2012.3.0-1 - Highly efficient chemical syntheses using alternative energy forms Call for proposal FP7-NMP-2012-SMALL-6 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research project Coordinator FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV EU contribution € 675 366,35 Address HANSASTRASSE 27C 80686 Munchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Andrea Zeumann (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (11) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all GNEUSS GMBH Germany EU contribution € 368 800,00 Address MONICHHUSEN 42 32549 BAD OEYNHAUSEN See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Almut Bruenger (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data UNIVERSITE DE MONS Belgium EU contribution € 312 150,00 Address PLACE DU PARC 20 7000 Mons See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Hainaut Arr. Mons Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Jean-Marie Raquez (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data HIELSCHER ULTRASONICS GMBH Germany EU contribution € 318 400,00 Address WARTHESTRASSE 21 14513 TELTOW See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Gerhard Hielscher (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data MUEGGE GMBH Germany EU contribution € 237 000,00 Address HOCHSTRASSE 4-6 64385 REICHELSHEIM See on map Region Hessen Darmstadt Odenwaldkreis Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Doris Muegge Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data SCIENCES & COMPUTERS CONSULTANTS France EU contribution € 74 595,00 Address RUE PLATEAU DES GLIERES 10 42000 SAINT ETIENNE See on map Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes Loire Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Chantal David (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data MATERIA NOVA Belgium EU contribution € 244 832,00 Address AVENUE N COPERNIC 3 7000 Mons See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Hainaut Arr. Mons Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Christine Druart Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data BH INDUSTRIES PROJECT SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIA Poland EU contribution € 144 160,00 Address Raclawicka 131/35 02-117 Warszawa See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Marian Soja (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data TALLERES POHUER SL Spain EU contribution € 187 920,00 Address Virgen de los Lirios 8 03440 IBI See on map Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Antonio Ruiz Vicente (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data AIMPLAS - ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS Spain EU contribution € 425 521,25 Address VALENCIA PARC TECHNOLOGIC CALLE GUSTAVE EIFFEL 4 46980 PATERNA VALENCIA See on map Region Este Comunitat Valenciana Valencia/València Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Marta Estellés Luna (Mrs.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE COSTRUTTORI DI MACCHINE E STAMPI PER MATERIE PLASTICHE E GOMMA Italy EU contribution € 130 360,00 Address CENTRO DIREZIONALE MILANOFIORI 20090 ASSAGO MILANO See on map Activity type Other Administrative Contact Alessandro Cerizza (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY United Kingdom EU contribution € 203 610,40 Address College Road MK43 0AL Cranfield - Bedfordshire See on map Region East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Central Bedfordshire Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact James Njuguna (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data