Project
Call for Partners | Processing of outdoor plastic products with programmed biodegradation
Plastic products are frequently being used in outdoor environments such as forestry, agriculture, lakes and oceans. These plastic products are often difficult to collect and recycle and even when they are, a high risk of leaving plastic residues in the environment remains. This calls for new plastic materials that maintain their functionality during use while biodegrading as fast as possible during their end-of-life.
This project will develop new strategies to program the biodegradation rate of plastic products that are being used. The project will develop new polymer formulations and processing routes towards products that maintain their intended performance while significantly reducing their pollution potential.
Looking at biobased plastics that do not accumulate in nature, there are only a couple of polymers that meet these requirements and are available at a semi-commercial scale. Polyhydroxy alkanoates (PHAs) and polybutylene succinate (PBS) are two very prominent examples. However, the processing behaviour of these polymers often hampers their application window, which makes that they are not a suitable option for many applications. One of the main challenges of this project would therefore be to expand the processing opportunities of PHA, PBS and their copolymers, thereby making these materials suitable for a wider range of applications that require sharply defined biodegradation profiles.
The project will develop new material formulations that allow for an improved processing stability at higher temperatures during compounding. Furthermore, essential thermomechanical properties such as melt flow and melt strength will be optimized to allow for targeted processing operations such as injection moulding and film blowing. To program the biodegradation profile of outdoor plastic products, the project will investigate the effect of a wide range of hydrolysis stabilizers on biobased polymer processing and functionality (both during use and end-of-life). New materials formulations will be scaled up product level in collaboration with participating partners.
Partners
We are looking for developers of outdoor plastic products, plastic converters and compounders that interested to either start using biodegradable plastics or expand their existing portfolio. Partners are expected to make a contribution to the project in-kind and in-cash.