Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Programme 2014 - 2020 Estonia - Russia ENI CBC

Date of latest update: 2024-01-24

Description

Description (EN):

The common challenges of the programme area, that we are jointly tackling, are: (i) 99% of the plastics raw material originates from non-renewable fossil fuels, which is not sustainable in the long term. A suitable alternative feedstock is needed. (ii) Plastics used in packages do not degrade and may persist for centuries. The situation around an enclosed Baltic Sea is especially alarming as marine animals and seabirds are widely known to ingest small pieces of plastic with dire consequences. Fully biodegradable plastic packages need to be developed. (iii) Most packages are composed of different types of non-degradable polymers making efficient recycling difficult. Also, due to the overall small volumes of waste in the Baltic region compared to the centre of Europe or Asia, there is not enough industry in the region for recycling to be competitive. Consequently, only a small fraction can be efficiently reused for new products in the programme region. (v) Energy recovery through incineration is an option to deal with non-degradable plastics; however, many harmful chemicals can be released during incineration together with CO2 of fossil origin. Through cross-border cooperation and interdiciplinary knowledge, the project objective is to develop a scalable process to replace fossil based non-biodegradable styrene used in polymer industry with a potentially biodegradable bio-based styrene counterpart from wood biomass and test the applications of this material in new products. Using local renewable feedstocks the Baltic plastics industry would decouple the industry from fossil fuel supply and strengthen the local wood processing industry by providing new applications for low-quality wood and pulp production byproducts. Furthermore, the biodegradability of the material would reduce the impact of plastics on the environment and relieve the region';s struggle to cope with non-biodegradable waste. Project outputs: 1) Validated step-by-step synthesis and processing method for producing novel styrene counterparts. 2) Formation of new cooperation connections between private companies and universities as well as between Estonia and Russia. The SMEs involved in the project will have new methods and products to support their continued growth and competitiveness. The first output will benefit the region as a whole by reducing the reliance on fossil fuels while strengthening the wood processing industry in the Baltic region, allowing low-quality wood to be converted into highly valued products. Using biodegradable materials will reduce the plastic waste generation in the region, thus reducing the pressure on local environment. The second output will benefit regional SME development by fostering cross-border business contacts and the development of new products (3 project partners are SMEs). The SMEs involved will gain a competitive advantage through cooperation between public R&D sector and cross-border businesses (2 project partners are universities). Future cooperation between the R&D and private sector is facilitated through the cooperation of universities and local SMEs within the scope of this project. The activities of the project are: 1) The development and the small-scale testing of various styrene-type monomers from lignin in a laboratory setting. The main outcome is a selection of stable monomers with polymerisation capabilities. 2) Scale-up and adjustment of the synthesis process to ensure high yield and cost-efficiency. The main outcome is a selection of styrene analogs that can be produced cost-efficiently along with the most efficient production methods. 3) Testing of the selected monomers in different plastics and coatings by SMEs. To reach the project objective and realise full impact, the project consortium includes the entire value chain from the raw material source and R&D institution to scale-up manufacturing and final product development and testing. This approach supports successful implementation and dissemination of project results after the project completion. The activities are set up to develop, test and demonstrate the new compounds to ensure the effective transfer of knowledge from the universities to production and provide feedback to the R&D institutions to inform new research and product development. Thus, the Estonian-Russian cooperation is significant to: 1) Bring together cross-border knowledge about organic synthesis and wood-based chemistry that is not available in a single country. 2) Facilitate the transfer of knowledge from R&D to practical use by bringing together the required partners of the value chain across the border, including lignin supplier, scale-up, manufacturing and end-users. As a result, novel styrene counterparts are created and innovative new products brought to market.

Website: http://www.estoniarussia.eu/

Expected Results (EN): The strength of cross-border activities by institutions in education, R&D, and innovation sectors

Expected Outputs (EN):

1) The result of the project is cross-border knowledge exchange between two universities with different expertise in the polymer synthesis. This will support future cooperation between the research groups. 2) As a result of the cooperation, new knowledge in the field of lignin-based polymers is created and this knowledge is successfully transferred to end-users - project SME partners to test the applicability of the new styrene counterparts. 3) Through these results, the SMEs involved will be able to develop new products and if successful, will form a base for the development of a series of products in the future. 4) Finally, the society will benefit from the R&D and cooperation by receiving products which can be considered significantly more sustainable compared to existing ones and developed new technology contributes shifting the fossil based chemical industry into sustainable one.

Thematic information

New products and services Waste and pollution

Thematic Objective: Business and SME development

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: Tartu Ülikool

Department: Institute of Technology

Address: Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.tuit.ut.ee/en

Total budget: EUR 213 127.56

ENI budget: EUR 191 814.80

TBD-Biodiscovery OÜ

Name: TBD-Biodiscovery OÜ

Department: not applicable

Address: Tiigi 61b, 50410 Tartu, Estonia

Legal status: private

Website: http://biodiscovery.eu

Total budget: EUR 70 909.00

ENI budget: EUR 56 727.20

Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University

Name: Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University

Department: Department of Chemistry

Address: Institutskiy per 5, 194021 Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: public

Website (not verified): http://eng.spbftu.ru/index.php

Total budget: EUR 126 356.00

ENI budget: EUR 113 720.40

ООО Научно-производственная фирма "ВАПА®"

Name: ООО Научно-производственная фирма "ВАПА®"

Department: not applicable

Address: Kondratievsky pr. P.o.box 82 75-2, 195271 Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.vapa.ru/

Total budget: EUR 121 000.00

ENI budget: EUR 60 500.00

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TBD-Biodiscovery OÜ

Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Partners and Projects info

Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University

Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Partners and Projects info

The research-and-production company «VAPA» CoLtd

Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Partners and Projects info

University of Tartu

Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Project acronym: BioStyrene

Project start date: 2019-06-01

Project end date: 2022-08-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 531 392.56

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 422 762.40

Co-financing sources:

ENPI/ENI/NDICI: Amount, EUR 422 762.40.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 Estonia - Russia ENI CBC

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2024-01-24

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

71 / 71 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

182 / 182 (100%)

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Novel lignin-based plastics for sustainable polymer industry

Description

Thematic information

Partners (4)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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