Enhanced PV integrated Concentrator Solar Power system
The CSP+ project, an intercluster collaboration with Flux50, aims to combine 2 solar technologies to produce heat (CSP) and electricity (PV) using the same surface area to capture even more energy from the sun. Its ambition to develop more efficient solar technology is especially relevant to Flanders, a region with a significant diffuse component in the sunlight and limited availability of free surface area.
Research within the project will specifically focus on the design of solar cells, development of new transmission coatings and innovative integration technology to maximize the energy yield and thus minimize the Levelized Cost Of Energy of CSP systems. This will make the use of CSP systems more economically viable in regions with a lot of diffuse light, like Flanders. At the end of the project, the consortium wants to arrive at a proof of concept on Thor Park that will be monitored for six months.
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
Recycling of Plastics and Titanium Dioxide via Advanced Dissolution and Separation
Techniques for Plastic Additive Removal
The Remove2Reclaim project aims to develop innovative solvent-based extraction routes to remove additives, such as titanium dioxide, from different polymer matrices and to reuse both titanium dioxide and polymer in new products. This dissolution route will be a nice add-on to existing mechanical and chemical polymer recycling schemes.
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
Tuning the Biodegradability of (Bio)Polymers for more Sustainable Plastic Applications
The Tune2Bio project seeks to develop the knowledge and expertise needed to tune the biodegradability of (bio)polyesters through innovative physical and chemical modification of polymers. The developed structure-processing-biodegradation relations will enable us to dial in the desired biodegradation profile over a large timeframe. Acquired knowledge and expertise will be used in combination with research into the challenging new production techniques that these newly modified polyesters require, resulting in a proof of concept for various industry-relevant products (i.e. filaments, fibres, and films).
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
PVC is a common plastic material, found in household applications like window profiles and luxury vinyl tiles. Today, the quality of recycled post-consumer PVC waste lags behind virgin PVC, limiting its potential. The sustainable solution? Adding high-performing additives during the recycling process to boost post-consumer PVC to the level of virgin PVC.
PoCoPAdd aims to gain a deeper understanding of the effect recycling has on post-consumer PVC by investigating the recyclate characteristics, processability and end product properties. With this knowledge, new high-performing additives will be designed to boost post-consumer PVC up to the level of virgin PVC and in turn increase the amount of post-consumer PVC recyclate in current and potential new high-quality products.
Carbon Capture, Transport and Storage in the Chemical Cluster of the Port of Antwerp
ACCTS is a collaborative study in which the technical and financial feasibility of CO2 capture at six different chemical sites in the Port of Antwerp is investigated, as well as different scenarios for the local transport of the captured CO2. The results of the study will contribute to the general goal of the Antwerp@C consortium to start the development of infrastructure for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the chemical cluster of the Port of Antwerp.
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
Atmospheric Plasma as Green Solution for Enhanced Adhesion and Functionalization
Ambition
The PlasmaSol project will develop more innovative and sustainable adhesion and functionalization technologies for various materials through atmospheric plasma.
In the past, durable adhesion on a broad range of substrates has been achieved using conventional wet chemical surface treatments. These wet chemical surface treatments come with several ecological and health – related issues. It is well-known that solvent-based technologies are hazardous and highly flammable. However, also water-based processes, although being a safer alternative for solvent-based processes, come with ecological disadvantages. As such, a vast amount of waste water is generated, whereas the need for an additional drying step leads to a high energy consumption. Within the aim of reducing energy and (hazardous) chemical usage, atmospheric plasma technology is proposed as an eco-friendly alternative for surface activation and modification, while offering properties that are not always within the reach of conventional processes. Meanwhile, conventional process steps (i.e. cleaning steps, primer application) can be eliminated leading to reduced process time and energy- and chemical usage. This project focusses on plasma functionalization as a promising technology to improve adhesion, anti-bacterial and flame-retarding properties.
Action
This project focusses on retrieving fundamental physical and chemical insights in plasma polymerisation and modification mechanisms as well as modelling of the plasma process. Considering its applicability in industrially relevant environments, the plasma reactor design will be optimized to obtain homogeneously deposited functionalized coatings. Furthermore, efforts will be taken to automize this new technology to make it industrially viable for a broad range of applications.
From Innovation to Business
With a broad range of industrial partners working together throughout the value chain and new fundamental insights and innovations in atmospheric plasma from the knowledge institutions, the PlasmaSol partners will maximize the potential to discover new industrial applications. This project is expected to finish in 2022. Project results will be announced on this page shortly afterwards.
Assessment of Microbial Protein Sources for Food and Feed
The goal of Prometheus, an intercluster project in collaboration with Flanders’ FOOD, is to deliver the proof-of-concept that microbial protein-rich biomass and by-products from citric acid production are fit for use as high-quality proteins in feed and food.
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
Controlled Release, Uptake and Enhanced (Bio-)Availability of Active Ingredients in Ruminant Feed and Fertilizers by Encapsulation
The Encaps2Control project sets out to develop a new and sustainable encapsulation technology for the controlled release of active ingredients in animal feed and organic fertilizers. This technology is based on biopolymers from renewable resources.
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
Building on the previous Catalisti project EnzymASE, EnzymASE 2 seeks to create environmentally friendly processes to produce chemical products with the help of enzymes. This should lead to new and improved products, as well as reduced CO2 emissions.
More information about this project will soon be provided on this page.
The current industrial production of a wide range of chemicals and synthetic polymers relies on fossil resources. Consumers and brand owners drive the search for biobased materials and products that are more sustainable. Companies search for performant materials containing biosourced carbon. Phenol, a fossil-derived chemical building block, is used downstream in various chemical formulations and applications, such as phenolic resins. Phenolic resins are successfully used in a variety of industrial applications, among others automotive, coating, varnish, adhesives, construction and insulation foams. For all these applications, there is a continued drive to find novel sustainable alternatives to these basic building blocks. In view of its chemical resemblance and availability, lignin and its derivatives could be a viable alternative to partially substitute phenol in phenol-formaldehyde resins.
Goal
The BIORESAL project aims to research to produce biobased LPF resins by replacing phenol with (modified) oligomeric lignin fractions, as potentially less hazardous and sustainable building blocks for their application in insulation materials and moulding compounds. Most importantly, this replacement is needed in a technologically proven and economically viable way. Additionally, BIORESAL will include the evaluation of a series of aldehydes as co-reactant in the synthesis of biobased LPF resins.
Project Details
Project type:
ICON
Approved on:
13/12/2018
Duration:
01/05/2019 – 30/04/2022
Total budget:
€2.596.723
Subsidy:
€1.807.567
Project Partners
Publications Biobased Resins Using Lignin and Glyoxal
I. Van Nieuwenhove, T. Renders, J. Lauwaert, T. De Roo, J. De Clercq, and A. Verberckmoes ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 51, 18789–18809 – DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c07227
The utilization of lignin and glyoxal as potentially sustainable and less hazardous building blocks for phenolic resins is an emerging research field. Lignin thereby serves as a partial, macromolecular substitute for phenol, while glyoxal fulfills the role of an aldehyde cross-linker. In the first part of this perspective, the industrial context of lignin and glyoxal will be expounded with a focus on their origin and production processes. In the framework of phenolic resins, the use of lignin and glyoxal can be categorized into two research domains: (i) glyoxalation to improve the reactivity of lignin prior to resin synthesis and (ii) direct resin synthesis using lignin and glyoxal with glyoxal immediately serving as the cross-linker. This perspective provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made in both domains, pinpointing the opportunities, blind spots, and challenges that lay ahead.
