Sustainable thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) from bio-based or recycled material
Elast2Sustain focuses on developing new sustainable TPE through different routes. We will investigate whether mechanical or chemical recycling can be used to obtain building blocks that can be reused as raw materials. Two different chemical recycling techniques (pyrolysis and chemical depolymerisation) will be investigated. We will also develop new bio-based TPE using CO2 as a building block.
Context
Plastics have become an integral part of our daily lives. Because of their weight, colourability, corrosion resistance and malleability, the number of possible applications is enormous. Vulcanised rubber is often used when elasticity and flexibility are required. Rubber has the disadvantage of being difficult or impossible to recycle and also requires specific knowledge of processability, which is why only a limited number of companies are active in the rubber industry.
To improve the processability and thus recyclability of rubber, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) were introduced as an alternative material in 1960. Especially in the last 10-15 years, a large number of new TPE materials have been produced that can provide a worthy alternative to various rubber materials.
Given the relative novelty of TPE materials, the INTERREG V project Elasto-Plast (2016-2021) aimed to introduce companies to these materials. A network of interested companies was set up in the Interreg region and the potential of TPEs was demonstrated using concrete practical examples that companies could work with.
With the current inflation of raw material prices, growing carbon footprint and the need to stop the large amount of synthetic plastic waste, these same companies are increasingly looking for sustainable solutions, on the one hand looking for a way to use recycled polymers (circular economy) and on the other hand, the demand for bio-based materials (green economy) is also increasing in order to be less dependent on the earth's finite resources, such as oil.
Acknowledgements
This project is funded by the InterregVI France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen program, and co-financed by the Walloon Region, the Province of West-Flanders, and VLAIO.
Total budget:
2.773.592,38 euro
ERDF financing:
1.664.155,42 euro
