GREEN-LOOP for sustainable manufacturing and bio-based products including PPWR-compliant solutions

KATOWICE, Poland - Oct. 15, 2024 - PRLog -- ìPoland, Silesian, Katowice – The GREEN-LOOP project, a European consortium dedicated to developing sustainable materials from renewable resources, has achieved significant milestones across its three value chains: bio-rubber, bioplastic, and wood composites.

On the 4^th Consortium Meeting of the GREEN-LOOP project, hosted by GIG-PIB, in Katowice on 9^th and 10^th October 2024, the project partners presented considerable progress and successes of the project pushing forward sustainable material innovations across their respective value chains.

Bio-Rubber Value Chain for acoustic panels

• Ultrasound technology has significantly improved the chemical devulcanization process, leading to enhanced recycling of rubber particles.
• Coated Rubber Materials has been successfully developed as a biodegradable and non-toxic coating formulation for rubber.
• Characterization of Bio-Rubber Panels with promising fire resistance properties, especially when incorporating lignin.

Bioplastics Value Chain for bottle closures

• Bottle closures: A new bio-based compound was formulated for injection moulding trials, resulting in successful prototypes of olive oil screw caps and dispensers.
• Microwave-assisted manufacturing: A prototype system was developed to reduce energy consumption and improve material properties in manufacturing bio-based injection moulded products.
• Eco-design: New bio-based thermoplastics using agricultural residues as fillers have shown promising results for various packaging applications.

Wood Composites Value Chain

• Material Development: The project has successfully developed a new biobased polymer blend for wood composites, primarily using renewable resources. Analytical techniques were used to optimize the composition of the blend.
• Manufacturing Process Improvements: Microwave enhancement technology has been integrated into the manufacturing process, demonstrating potential for improved efficiency and material properties.
• Production Achievements: Successful production of wood-composite materials, including flat panels for tribological testing, has been achieved.

Conclusions

The GREEN-LOOP project will continue to focus on solutions for bio-based industries and to promote transition of the fossil-based industries refining material formulations, optimizing manufacturing processes, and conducting rigorous testing to ensure the scalability and commercial viability of these new sustainable materials. Specifically, for the final application in packaging, GREEN-LOOP project results offer tangible solutions that comply with the new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The GREEN-LOOP web site: www.greenloop-project.eu