Category "News"

3May

PLAST2bCLEANED, towards a solid environmental and economic assessment methodology

by Plast2bCleaned

Screenshot of PLAST2bCLEANED’s Inventory data collection sheet for the full LCA/LCC

As part of the tasks PLAST2bCLEANED is developing, the project is carrying out both a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a life cycle costing (LCC). During this first period, the main objective has been to establish the final methodological approach, as well as to develop a detailed and complete inventory data collection sheet.

To achieve this, first, the consortium decided on the final goal and scope, and PLAST2bCLEANED system’s definition and graphical description were updated to the latest insights from the PLAST2bCLEANED current research and prepared for the final assessment.

Likewise, a small-scale study was conducted on technology upscaling and learning methods, enabling the translation of lab-scale data to real data from a simulated commissioned and operative plant in Europe (sensitivity for countries, electricity mix, etc.) The aim of this research was to test the sorting and dissolution technologies under development on the project, to prove them valid and replicable, and it was finally validated by experts from the consortium and improved in the data collection sheet.

Results were shared with similar initiatives addressing plastics recycling like NONTOX and CREAToR to align the methodology framework and establish a common ground for future projects.

Finally, a detailed inventory data collection sheet was prepared and sent out within the project with an updated process flow diagram for partners’ input.

In the following months, TNO, responsible for these tasks for PLAST2bCLEANED, will collect all the inventory data and perform an LCA and LCC study for the final assessment.

4Apr

PLAST2bCLEANED at Electro-Plast 2022

by Plast2bCleaned

On March 31, ICL Group, bromine recovery expert within PLAST2bCLEANED, participated at Electro-Plast 2022 in Cologne (Germany).

On behalf of PLAST2bCLEANED, Eyal Eden, Plastic Application Lab Manager at ICL gave the presentation entitled High Voltage automotive powertrain fire safety: sustainable brominated polymers make the difference.

Electro-Plast 2022 brought together the entire electrical & electronic equipment supply chain to discuss how to bring these products to market, and improve them to the benefit of businesses and consumers.

11Feb

PLAST2bCLEANED Produced samples at lab scale to verify the final produced products

by Plast2bCleaned

PLAST2bCLEANED produced samples at lab scale to verify if the final produced products are fulfilling the specifications needed within the project. The laboratories in Israel of the bromine recovery expert ICL Group analysed these samples for the different bromine compounds.  

Once PLAST2bCLEANED is ready and scaled up, the produced bromine used in brominated flames retardants coming out of the Dead Sea will get a second life in Europe after their recovery at ICL Group premises in Terneuzen (Netherlands).  

11Feb

PLAST2BCLEANED continues with its clustering activities

by Plast2bCleaned

On February 1, several members of the PLAST2BCLEANED consortium participated in the first LIFE PLAS PLUS project dedicated event, a venue addressing the plastic ecosystem and stakeholders, as well as the necessary steps.

TNO and Campine presented PLAST2BCLEANED scope and advancements and the antimony value chain, respectively.

The presentations are available here and here.

9Feb

Coolrec presents PLAST2bCLEANED at IERC 2022

by Plast2bCleaned

On January 19, PLAST2bCLEANED was showcased at the 20th International Electronics Recycling Congress IERC 2022 in Salzburg (Austria).

On behalf of the consortium, Tom Caris, Business Development Manager at Coolrec, addressed the importance of working on a common European Directive for the waste electrical and electronic equipment treatment.

As part of his presentation, Tom presented the joint policy brief developed by PLAST2bCLEANED together with the Circular Flooring, Creator, Nontox and React projects.

You can check the full presentation here.

25Jan

PLAST2bCLEANED progressing to obtain a human and environmentally safe recycling process for WEEE plastics

by Plast2bCleaned

Last January 11 and 12, the PLAST2bCLEANED consortium met online to discuss the status of the Waste Electrical and Electronic (WEEE) plastics recycling objectives of the project.

The main work of the latest months was focused on a study to improve the Raman spectrum, comparison of the results of chemometrics with spectral analysis and the development of the classification model.

Likewise, the process development for dissolution and recovery tasks are now officially concluded and the group is now working on the process system integration and scale-up, as well as on the performance testing of process and products, mainly on Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

Some recommendations based on the screening assessment were made in terms of life cycle costing and assessment, and the advancement in terms of communication and dissemination was presented.

12Jan

PLAST2bCLEANED at Brightlands Polymer Days 2021

by Plast2bCleaned

On November 8, PLAST2bCLEANED was presented at Brightlands Polymer Days 2021, a series of scientific conferences in the field of polymer science and technology held online.

On behalf of PLAST2bCLEANED, Lucie Prins, Research Scientist at TNO, was in charge of showcasing how the project addresses the challenge of waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling through sorting polymers, bromine and antimony trioxide.

Lucie’s presentation entitled Recycling of plastics by dissolution-precipitation: status and challenges was part of the lectures included under the circularity section of the conference.

2Dec

CHEMOMETRICS FOR SPECTRAL DATA ASSESSMENT

by Plast2bCleaned

In the PLAST2bCLEANED project, Raman spectroscopy is researched to improve the sorting of the polymers High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) within the recycling process of Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). 

WEEE plastics usually contain certain additives like pigments or brominated flame retardants (BFR), which sometimes make difficult the correct identification of polymers with spectroscopic techniques. Certainly, the Raman spectrum of some WEEE samples presents a fluorescence or scattering effect that masks the Raman signal of the polymer. To overcome this technical challenge, in the PLAST2bCLEANED project Chemometrics is studied in combination with Raman spectroscopy for WEEE polymers identification. 

Chemometrics is a tool that uses mathematical and statistical methods to analyse and extract relevant information from a data matrix. It is based on Multivariate Analysis (MVA), which assesses the information within many variables in the measured data to find the relationship between samples and variations in a data set. 

Applied to Raman spectroscopy, MVA is used to find main patterns and correlations in spectral data in order to establish a measurable relationship between the registered spectra and the variable or characteristic object of the study. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) together with several pre-treatment algorithms are initially applied to spectral data with the objective of separating valuable information contained in the data structure from the signal due to other sources and spectral noise.

Once the spectra have been pre-processed, multivariate models are built and tested to classify analysed samples into target categories by using pattern recognition. All these techniques are being evaluated within the PLAST2bCLEANED project to analyse Raman spectral data and to define a classification model for sorting HIPS and ABS from WEEE streams.