BioPlastiCycle

BioPlastiCycle - Transitioning bioplastics to the circular economy

Duration:          2022 – 2025  

Funding:      Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Project partners: 

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen; Chair of Macromolecular Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf; Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1 & IBG3), Forschungszentrum Jülich; Chair of Fluid Process Engineering, RWTH Aachen

Project description:

Plastics fulfill many vital functions in modern society, but not enough consideration is given to the end-of-life fate of these extremely stable materials. Almost all plastics are currently produced from fossil resources. Thus, plastic pollution is rampant and plastic production significantly contributes to climate change. Because of this, there is a strong societal and regulatory push for the development of more sustainable, biodegradable bioplastics. However, viable recycling options are still lacking for many of these emerging materials, and there is thus an urgent need for technology development towards a circular bioplastics economy. BioPlastiCycle aims to tackle this challenge by developing and evaluating a complete value cycle for bioplastics, focusing on both well-established polymers like polylactide as well as newly developed materials based on α-ketoglutarate. We address all major aspects of the value cycle, including bio-based monomer production and purification, model-guided eco-friendly polymerization, tuning of the polymer properties towards biodegradation, bio- and chemical recycling of the resulting bioplastics, as well as assessment of economic and environmental impact of these materials. This highly interdisciplinary project aims to further the transition of plastics into the circular bioeconomy by developing new materials and processes, thereby reducing plastics-associated pollution while also fostering regional economic development.