REWIND PROJECT
REcyclable biocomposites WIth eNhanced Durability
Acknowledgment
Funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU’ - PNRR M4 - C2 - investment 1.1: Fund for the National Research Programme and Projects of Significant National Interest (PRIN) - PRIN 2022PNRR cod. P20223YBZ8_001 entitled “Recyclable biocomposites WIth eNhancedDurability” CUP B53D23026710001
P R O J E C T
PROJECT
The REWIND-Recyclable biocompositEs WIth eNhanced Durability project aims to design and develop innovative biocomposites also investigating the durability of these materials and the effect of harsh environmental conditions, employed in marine applications and in wind turbine blades, on their biodegradability. The biocomposite solutions will be validated experimentally and further developments for their end-of-life recycling or upcycling processing will be exploited following a well-designed business strategy.
The REWIND concepts will be realised in three phases, each aimed at achieving one of the following research objectives:
· Optimization of new chemistries for recyclable biobased epoxy resins and natural fibres
· Investigation of biocomposites durability and influence on their recyclability
· Legislation for recycling waste biocomposites
The first phase aims to strengthen the use of bio-based raw materials (i.e., natural fibres and bio-epoxy resins) to formulate biocomposites using cleavable amines for triggering activated chemistry to depolymerize the thermoset’s network under mild chemical treatments. This approach will allow matrix recycling leading to the production of clean undamaged fibres and new polymers to be exploited in traditional thermoplastic processing. Therefore, a fully circular strategy will be implemented with recycling and upcycling technologies designed to recover the high value constituents of the biocomposites. This second phase concerns the evaluation of the overall performances of biocomposites including the material characterization, the durability assessment and the recyclability investigation. In particular, REWIND will investigate for the first time the correlation between ageing behaviour and the biodegradability of biocomposites.
From a legal point of view, in the third phase the proposal aims to delineate a discipline on the biocomposites recycling and reuse of their main components. The discipline will have to adequately regulate various phases of the life cycle of the biobased product. This framework must be consistent with the European ecological integration process. In particular, the proposal aims to identify new European waste codes to classify recyclable epoxy matrices. These codes will ensure proper waste management of this product, useful to set a proper reprocessing and recycling process. In addition, the use of specific codes will allow stakeholders to request authorization for the management of this waste type, in line with the provisions of Dir. 2008/98/EC. New products will be created: i.e., a new category of goods which will stand out from the others for being the result of a recycling process. In this regard, it may be appropriate to adapt the European technical certification model to the new product. These changes will guarantee authenticity, the compliance with the standards in safety and with consumer protection matters of this new kind of goods.