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Marleen Ramakers, a chemist at the PLASMANT research group of the University of Antwerp, is developing a method to convert waste gases such as carbon dioxide into useful fuels. She is awarded the Eos Pipet, an award for most promising scienteist, for her research. The verdict of the jury: ‘Marleen Ramakers has built a reactor that can lead to a usable application for the sustainable storage of energy. The step between the lab and industry is small. Marleen already made several important contributions to science at a young age. ‘

Read the full article on the Eos website (in Dutch): https://www.eoswetenschap.eu/technologie/marleen-ramakers-wint-eos-pipet-2018-en-publieksprijs

In July 2017, the Flemish government has launched an EFRO-call for the “Support of spreading technologies with the purpose of valorization and commercialization” within its Cluster policy. After an application and evaluation process, four projects from our cluster were approved and granted.

In the first project, LignoValue Pilot, VITO and its partners Jacobs België NV and VMH will construct a pilot line (TRL 5-6, production capacity of ± 200 kg/day) for the conversion of wood/lignin into biobased aromatics. This will allow the production of larger amounts of these biobased aromatics, as such allowing companies to take further steps in their application development path. The aim will be to design the pilot line as flexible as possible to demonstrate different depolymerization processes. For this purpose, the most preferential conversion technologies  that will be identified in the recently-approved Catalisti project ‘Bio-Aromatics Feedstock Technology Assessment (BAFTA)’ (in which a thorough landscape analysis including the most promising technologies for isolating and depolymerization of lignin will be made)  will be implemented on relevant scale.

Also, two projects coordinated by member companies were granted. Within the DUVAL project, Agfa Gevaert will implement and provide a continuous thin film evaporator platform for the Flemish chemical industry. The InQbet Accelerator project from P&G has the aim to increase the success of start-ups and growth companies in commercialising innovative products and business models.

In the fourth project, Bio Base Flow, the BioBase Europe Pilot Plant will accelerate technology transfer and improve project management by means of new processing equipment and an innovative concept of partner hubs and project management room with integrated infrastructure for process steering.

The focus of this call is on projects aimed at pilot scale or demo activities that are carried out at the level of an individual company or within a collaboration between two or more companies. This means that sufficient maturity is available at the start of the project (eg proof of concept on a smaller scale) but that no commercial rollout is possible yet.

More information: https://www.vlaio.be/nl/subsidies-financiering/ontwikkelingsproject-op-pilootschaal

Catalisti members can get free guidance and support from Catalisti, please contact info@catalisti.be.

Vlaanderen Circulair launches two project calls to support innovative and valuable projects.

CALL 1: Circular purchasing
These subsidies are intended for those who have registered as purchasers or supporting parties in the Green Deal Circular Purchasing. Cooperation between partners of the Green Deal is also possible.

CALL 2: Circulair city and entrepeneurship
These subsidies are intended for (the partnerships of) local authorities, companies, research institutions, organizations and citizens. We encourage collaborations with other parties in the value chain (from producer to consumer and back).

more information: http://vlaanderen-circulair.be/nl/aan-de-slag/open-call

Innovatieproject van Catalisti resulteert in opstart van unieke pilootlijn bij Recticel

Brussel, 28 maart 2018 – De schuimvulling uit oude, gebruikte matrassen een tweede leven geven, bijvoorbeeld als isolatiemateriaal. Dat is op termijn het opzet van een unieke pilootlijn die vandaag bij Recticel in Wetteren is opgestart door Vlaams minister Philippe Muyters. De baanbrekende recyclagetechnologie is de voorbije jaren ontwikkeld tijdens een sectoroverschrijdend innovatieproject van Catalisti, de speerpuntcluster voor duurzame chemie en kunststoffen. De sector brengt zo de circulaire economie in de praktijk.

Bij Recticel mocht Philippe Muyters, Vlaams minister van Werk, Economie, Innovatie en Sport, vandaag zowel de nieuwe labo’s van het Sustainable Innovation Department inhuldigen als een pilootlijn opstarten voor de recyclage van polyurethaan (PU) soepelschuim uit matrassen. In het Sustainable Innovation Department werken 100 R&D-medewerkers van Recticel voortaan samen in een ultramodern en duurzaam gebouw. Daar ontwikkelen ze in diverse labo’s nieuwe materialen en processen voor de verschillende divisies in de Recticel-groep.

De pilootlijn voor de recyclage van soepelschuim moet op termijn hergebruik van grondstoffen uit oude matrassen mogelijk maken. De technologie is de voorbije jaren ontwikkeld binnen het ALFIBOND-project van speerpuntcluster Catalisti, samen met Recticel, tapijtproducent Balta, machinebouwer Matthys Group, VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek) en Centexbel, het onderzoekscentrum voor de textielindustrie.

Momenteel verwerkt Recticel al productieafval van PU-schuim tot akoestisch isolatiemateriaal. Zo ligt Simfofit, een materiaal voor geluidsisolatie in woningen, vandaag al in de doe-het-zelfzaak. Met de opstart van de pilootlijn wil Recticel nu nagaan of er nog andere recyclage-toepassingen mogelijk zijn. Zo anticipeert het bedrijf op de terugnameplicht voor matrassen die mogelijk vanaf 2021 wordt ingevoerd. Al dienen er daarvoor nog een aantal drempels op vlak van regelgeving en technologie overwonnen te worden.

Philippe Muyters, Vlaams minister van Werk, Economie, Innovatie en Sport. “Recticel bewijst de meerwaarde van anders denken over “afval” en anders omgaan met grondstoffen en materialen. Het is fantastisch om te zien dat het bedrijf proactief nadenkt over de toekomstige terugnameplicht voor matrassen, en daarvoor resoluut inzet op dé Vlaamse grondstof bij uitstek: onze hersenen. Recticel maakt echt het verschil dankzij innovatie en de focus op circulaire economie. Maar ook de toegevoegde waarde van Catalisti valt niet te ontkennen: de samenwerking tussen onderzoek en industrie maakte de technologie van de pilootlijn mogelijk. Dat is exact waarvoor we de speerpuntclusters in het leven geroepen hebben.”

Frank Beckx, gedelegeerd bestuurder essenscia vlaanderen: “Met de opstart van deze unieke pilootlijn trekt Recticel duidelijk de kaart van de circulaire economie. Het is een prachtig voorbeeld van de manier waarop Catalisti kennis omzet in economische meerwaarde. Bij Recticel zie je ook de chemie in zijn meest concrete vorm: isolatie, matrassen, lichtgewichtkunststoffen. Het zijn materialen die extra comfort bieden, maar die tijdens hun gebruiksfase vaak ook energie besparen en de CO2-uitstoot beperken.”

Jan Van Havenbergh, Managing Director Catalisti: “Deze investering van Recticel toont aan dat de aanpak van Catalisti werkt. De omschakeling naar een circulaire economie is een belangrijke maatschappelijke uitdaging. Als speerpuntcluster spelen we hierin een cruciale rol door open innovatie te stimuleren waarbij kleine en grote ondernemingen uit diverse sectoren samenwerken met kennisinstellingen. Met resultaat, want heel wat partnerbedrijven hebben recent investeringen in pilootlijnen, labo’s en R&D-centra gerealiseerd of aangekondigd.”

Bekijk ook de videoreportage over de nieuwe pilootlijn bij Recticel:

 

For over a century, Samsonite has been a byword for exceptional luggage. From the simple wooden trunk designed by company founder Jesse Shwayder in 1910, to modern cases like Cosmolite and NeoPulse, which combine bold design with cutting-edge technology, Samsonite has been by the traveler’s side, meeting their needs, exceeding their expectations, and anticipating their demands. The global travel industry never stands still, but, through its 108-year lifespan, Samsonite has maintained its focus on quality, functionality and durability to meet the changing lifestyle needs of people on the move. Along the way, there have been many notable “firsts” – first plastic case, first suitcase on wheels, first upright case, first four-wheeled “spinner” case – that have not only helped take the strain out of travelling, but have also been in the vanguard of transforming the industry through innovation.

These innovations also resulted in a success story for the Samsonite site in Oudenaarde. The development of the process to thermoform Curv material, a reinforced polypropylene material, resulted in the suitcase Cosmolite, the lightest suitcase available on the market at that time. Weighing only 3.4 kg, outperforming the competition which weighed about 5kg at the time. Through continuous innovations the weight has further dropped to as low as 2.5 kg. The success of this innovation guaranteed the future of the Samsonite site at Oudenaarde and resulted in a strong R&D department.

Currently Samsonite employs 34 people in R&D in Belgium. Together with R&D centers in the US and Asia, these teams enable the development of products that cater to the nuances in consumer requirements in each market. Our regional focus on innovation and product development not only allows Samsonite to react quickly to changing demand and evolving consumer tastes, but also sets it apart from other companies operating in the global consumer space and keeps it at the forefront of the industry.

The network provided by Catalisti allows Samsonite to find the required expertise and partner up with the most adequate industrial or knowledge partners for initiating open innovation projects. The innovation goals within Samsonite also correspond perfectly within the innovation program of Catalisti regarding sustainable chemistry. For example designing advanced sustainable products with lightweight properties, Suitcases are made for transport of goods, the lighter they are the less fuel consumption in the car/the plane. Samsonite is setting the standards for lightweight luggage. It is in the genes of the Samsonite organization to look for innovation opportunities outside of its own walls. That is why Samsonite was one of the founders of Flanders Plasticvision, that later became integrated in the Catalisti cluster.

Today, the transition to a circular economy is a crucial next step in whichthe recycling of plastic materials will become increasingly important. Samsonite is already actively working on minimizing waste on production level and incorporating recycling to a certain degree. This year already, Samsonite will bring an ecoline onto the market. It is a line based on the successful S’Cure line, where the shells will consist of 100% regrind material coming from own production waste. Until last year, this material was sold as waste.

In the future Samsonite will continue to invest in innovation projects. Together with the help of Catalisti, innovation opportunities can be identified, the required expertise of industrial partners or research institutes can be located and the appropriate funding can be requested to cooperate in these R&D projects.

In December 2017, the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) approved the cSBO project SPICY, which stands for “Sugar-based chemicals and Polymers through Innovative Chemocatalysis and engineered Yeast”. With a subsidy of over 2.5 million euro from the budget for cluster projects, a consortium consisting of KULeuven, UGent, UHasselt, VITO, VIB and Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant will work on the development of a technology platform for the valorisation of sugar. This cluster SBO project was created within the “Renewable Chemicals” program of Catalisti, the cluster for chemistry and plastics, with an emphasis on the strategic topic “Sugar”. The project is coordinated by Prof. dr. Bert Sels from KULeuven – COK, with support of Catalisti.

Flanders is ideally suited to play a leading role in the shift towards a bio-based economy for a number of reasons. First of all, there is a long-standing tradition of biomass (sugar beets, wheat) conversion into food ingredients (sugars, organic acids, alcoholic beverages). On top of that, Flanders has a high level of education in both chemical and agricultural technology leading to a strong expertise in collecting, sorting and processing of biomass (waste) towards high value products. Finally, Flanders is also ideally located at the middle of the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr Area (ARRRA), Europe’s largest petrochemical cluster, number one in the world when it comes to sales of chemicals and plastics per capita, and the main (production) location of more than half of the world’s top 20 chemical companies.

Cancellation of the EU Sugar quota as off October 1th 2017 will have important consequences for the European sugar producers, such as evolution of sugar prices towards prices on the global market. Together with the disappearance of the export limitations, this will lead to new opportunities for sugar as feedstock for production of chemicals and materials. Market analysts also expect an increase of EU sucrose and glucose syrup production.

The main goal of SPICY is to provide chemical industry with new or optimized processes to convert sugars into added value compounds, i.e. both drop-ins and novel biobased chemicals. Two complementary lines are hereto developed in parallel, one focusing on biotechnology based on improved yeast-strains and one based on chemocatalytic routes. Both will aspire to meet industrial standards of productivity, titer, yield and selectivity, to safeguard potential economic benefit and future industrial valorisation. Most of the targeted platform chemicals are (potential) monomers for biobased plastics, hence, a second aim of SPICY is to deliver proof-of-concept of their usefulness by targeting novel and functional polymeric materials, typically not found in the current oil-based value chain.

This project has the ambition to strengthen the position of Flanders in terms of research into biobased processes and materials. The relevance of this cluster SBO project is further emphasized by an industrial advisory board, who are eager to implement the results and create economic valorisation. Current members of the advisory board include: 3M, Allnex, Beaulieu, Cargill, Eastman, EOC, Galactic, GF Biochemicals, GlobalYeast, INEOS Styrolution, Proviron, Solvay, Tereos and Tiense Suiker.

Contact

Bert Lagrain – KU Leuven
+32 16 32 16 27
bert.lagrain@kuleuven.be

Johan De Houwer – Catalisti
+32 468 32 25 57
jdehouwer@catalisti.be