Category "News"

Plast2bCleaned has been mentioned on pages 50 and 51 of the latest issue from Plastics Recycling World. Discover a case study together with BSH using our chemically recycled ABS and the conclusion of the Plast2bCleaned, with a presentation of positive results.

The Plast2bCleaned project investigated recycling of WEEE plastics with flame retardant additives The five-year, EU-funded Plast2bCleaned project has concluded, with results presented at workshop events earlier this year. The project was launched to address the recycling of the common WEEE plastics ABS and high impact PS, which can contain up to 20wt% brominated flame retardants (BFR) and up to 5wt% of the synergist antimony trioxide (ATO). Among the results, it discussed the use of a dissolution process, highlighting the advantages of using a low boiling point, single solvent system and adding suitable separation steps for the effective separation and recovery of the additives. In a programme involving Electrolux, 23 washing machine door frames were produced from material recompounded at Elix Polymers incorporating 30% recycled ABS.

Download the PDF here.

On May 21, Lucie Prins, from TNO, presented at TheGreenTech Innovation Forum in Brussels, where she showcased the achievements of PLAST2bCLEANED alongside other leading projects such as PRIMUS, CIMPA , PRecycling, STOPP, ABSolEU and INCREACE, dedicated to plastics recycling.

The forum served as a platform for the exchange of ideas and collaboration among policymakers, industry leaders, and environmental advocates. Lucie’s presentation showed the the significant contributions and impacts of PLAST2bCLEANED.

Download the presentation here.

Last Friday, April 19, Esther van den Beuken of TNO presented the PLAST2bCLEANED project at the Innovation Forum 4 Plastics, held alongside the World Circular Economy Forum in Brussels. This event spotlighted advancements in plastic recycling and circularity, aligning with the EU Plastics Strategy and the Circular Economy Action Plan; hosted by EuRIC on behalf of the CIMPA project, supported by the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) and as a side event of the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF).

The EU-funded PLAST2bCLEANED project is pioneering the recycling of common WEEE polymers, bromine flame retardants, and antimony trioxide, introducing technologies that safely separate hazardous additives from plastics. Key achievements include an innovative pre-sorting prototype, a TRL5 recycling pilot plant utilizing dissolution under superheated conditions, and the production of 9 kg of recycled ABS plastic. This ABS, comparable to virgin material, has been used to manufacture a new, eco-friendlier product. Additionally, the forum featured insights from various EU research projects, panel discussions on overcoming plastic waste challenges, and networking opportunities aimed at enhancing the sustainable and circular management of natural resources.

Download the PDF of the presentation.

Esther van den Beuken (TNO), from PLAST2BCLEANED, will lead a presentation ‘PLASTtics to be CLEANED by sorting and separation of plastics and subsequent recycling of polymers, bromine flame retardants and antimony trioxide’, followed by a panel discussion focusing on the pivotal role of R&I projects in shaping policy agendas.

The 2024 edition of this event is organised as a side event to the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF in Brussels. The event starts on Friday, April 19 · 8:30am CEST and aims to showcase the innovative solutions of EU-funded projects to boost plastic recycling and circularity, reduce plastic pollution and thus, contributing to the EU Plastics Strategy, the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and related regulatory frameworks. It will feature presentations by different EU research and innovation projects of their solutions, panel discussions on the plastic waste challenges as well as clustering opportunities to maximise the sustainable and circular management and use of natural resources.

Register here

On February 22, a major turning point in the field of plastic recycling was achieved, the PLAST2bCLEANED project came to an end with a final webinar and meeting. The webinar, “PLAST2Bcleaned: Process for Recycling of WEEE Plastics,” marked the end of years of devoted work and cooperation and was hosted at the Electrolux facilities in Italy. But as this chapter draws to a conclusion, it becomes clear that this is just the beginning of something even more exciting: the PLAST2bCLEANED process.

Click here to read the presentation and if you missed it, you can watch the final video here.

PLAST2Bcleaned is excited to announce an upcoming online event, PLAST2Bcleaned: Process for Recycling of WEEE Plastics, scheduled for 22 February 2024 from 09:30 to 11:30 CET.

This webinar provides a unique opportunity to connect with experts, learn the projects results, as well as to investigate how these results can be further exploited or further developed. Besides presenting and discussing the technical project results, there will be a lot of time for interaction on the next steps, removing obstacles and stimulating measures to enhance plastics circularity.

In this workshop, we will present the PLAST2bCLEANED project outcomes in more detail and we will discuss the recommendations and lessons learned. The following topics will be presented:

• Pre-sorting technique using RAMAN spectroscopy and machine learning
• Recycling process using dissolution under superheated conditions
• Re-application or rABS in E&EE products
• Economic and environmental impact assessment

AGENDA

9:30-9:40 | Welcome and intro, Judith Kessens (TNO)

9:40-10:25 | The Plast2BCleaned Process, Sebastian Reinhardt (Fraunhofer ICT), Lucie Prins (TNO)

5 minutes break

10:30-10:45 | Pre-sorting using RAMAN spectroscopy and machine learning. Ainara Pocheville (GAIKER)

10:45-11:00 | Impact Assessment including scenarios analyses. Špela Ferjan (TNO)

11:00-11:30 | Panel discussion on next steps. P2BC panel discussion​. Moderator​

Judith Kessens, project manager at TNO, project coordinator PLAST2bCLEANED​. Panel members​:

Tom Caris (Coolrec Group), Rolands Jaunzems (ICL Group)​ and Marco Garilli (Electrolux)​.

Register here

The Plast2bCleaned Project, an initiative aimed at developing a circular economy solution for WEEE plastics, was presented at IERC 2024, a global gathering of professionals in the electronics recycling field. Presentations by partners at the Hotel Sheraton in Salzburg highlighted the project’s progress and the challenges it faces. Experts emphasized the need for presorting to ensure the success of recycling initiatives and participants agreed that better communication between product designers and recycling experts is crucial for designing products that are easier and more cost-effective to recycle.

Have a look at some of the event highlights in this video:

 Are you interested in the project results? The partners will present a final online workshop on February 22 at 09.30 AM, to register click here.  

• The PLAST2bCLEANED process for recycling of WEEE Plastics workshop will be held next January 19, 2024, from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM (CET) at the Hotel Sheraton, Salzburg (Austria), during the International Electronics Recycling Congress 
• In this workshop, the PLAST2bCLEANED project will present its outcomes, lessons learned and recommendations in the framework of IERC 2024 

Madrid, Spain. January 9th, 2024 – After nearly five years of efforts, the EU-funded project PLAST2bCLEANED (PLASTtics to be CLEANED) is set to showcase its results at the International Electronics Recycling Congress (IERC 2024), the leading event in the Circular Economy Electronics. 

On January 19^th, 2024, PLAST2bCLEANED will present the workshop titled “The PLAST2bCLEANED process for recycling of WEEE Plastics” at IERC. The event will be held at the Hotel Sheraton in Salzburg (Austria) where project partners will provide information about the project’s achievements, offering detailed insights, recommendations, and lessons learned regarding environmentally safe recycling process for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) plastics in a technically feasible and economically viable manner.

PLAST2bCLEANED has achieved a significant milestone by successfully developing to Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5) meaning that the key enabling technology was validated in an industrially relevant environment. The project’s primary focus has been on recovering the most common polymers, ABS and HiPS, from WEEE as well as removing and recovering bromine flame retardants and antimony trioxide.

The partners will present PLAST2bCLEANED’s results and learnings and investigate how these results can be further exploited or developed. In addition to presenting and discussing the technical project results, the next steps, removing obstacles and stimulating measures to enhance plastic circularity will be presented as well.  

Key representatives in the circular plastics and projects partners, including Judith Kessens, Senior Project Manager Circular Plastics, and Esther van den Beuken, Principal Consultant Circular Plastics, both from TNO, will moderate the workshop. 

Among the notable accomplishments of the PLAST2bCLEANED project is the successful production of ABS from WEEE using an energy-saving process, indicating an economical viable avenue. Among the notable accomplishments of the PLAST2bCLEANED project is the creation of 23 door frames using resin formulation developed by ELIX Polymers, incorporating an impressive 30% eco-friendly recycled ABS.

Remarkably, this was achieved without any significant change to the operating parameters, demonstrating the project’s ability to integrate sustainable materials without compromising processing conditions. Additionally, the team successfully produced samples reducing the temperature of the melt, indicating a potential avenue for energy-saving in manufacturing processes, although the impact on aesthetics needs to be further investigated.

Participants at the workshop will have a unique opportunity to actively engage in discussions about the implementation of next steps. A panel discussion will focus on removing obstacles and stimulating measures to enhance the circularity of plastics.  

Workshop registration  

Are you interested? Please join us and register click HERE.

(Click on “international delegate” or “swiss delegate” to register)

Contact 

For further information, please contact: 

Rocío Garcialonso, Communications Manager  

info@plast2bcleaned.eu 

About PLAST2bCLEANED  

The overall aim of PLAST2bCLEANED is to develop a human and environmentally safe recycling process for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) plastics in a technically feasible and economically viable manner.  Three material loops will be closed: (1) polymer; (2), bromine fraction; and (3) antimony trioxide fraction.  

On September 20, Judith Kessens from TNO visited the Processes4Planet Projects Forum (2023)

There were many interesting projects presented, ranging from circular textiles to heat pumps for industrial drying. During the poster session, Judith presented the roll-up banner and printed a new PLAST2bCLEANED poster- She networked with various individuals, including EC officers and partners from other projects.The overall aim of PLAST2bCLEANED is to develop a human and environmentally safe recycling process for WEEE plastics in a technically feasible and economically viable manner.

The latest General Assembly of PLAST2bCLEANED, held at the renowned GAIKER research centre in Bilbao, marked a significant step forward in achieving the project’s goals.

PLAST2bCLEANED’s primary mission is to revolutionize the recycling of WEEE plastics. This gathering brought together consortium partners, providing a platform to present their updated work packages and share their latest advancements in research and technology, they also enjoyed a tour of GAIKER located in the Technological Park of Bizkaia and witnessed the prototype.