BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B North West Europe

Date of latest update: 2026-05-18

Description

Description (EN):

Composite materials offer great opportunities to contribute to the European Green Deal by enabling substantial reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the transportation sector due to their lightweight and high strength properties. They produce, however, a significant amount of waste (est. 683 kton in EU in 2025) with limited recycling capacity (15%). To align with the circular economy's waste hierarchy principles, extending the lifespan of composites through repair and reuse is crucial. The major challenge lies in the inextricable bonding of composite materials through adhesives. Conventional adhesives exhibit a two-fold challenge 1) they are primarily produced from fossil fuels and are therefore non-renewable, and 2) once applied, they hinder detachment and hence further repair, reuse, and recycling. Addressing this challenge is particularly desirable in the North-West Europe region, which has the largest composite and adhesive market share in Europe. In this project, we aim to develop one solution for circular composite repair by engineering bio-based adhesives, derived from renewable resources, to facilitate effortless detachment of the parts on command. Our novel approach draws inspiration from historical materials and integrates recent developed bio-based adhesive formulations into existing pilot-scale debonding and composite repair setups from the project partners. Finally, this will result in one pilot scale demonstrator. Through transnational pilot-scale demonstrations on a representative use case, we will showcase the applicability of our approach for non-structural composite parts. We focus on the transportation sector, the largest consumer of composites, and more specifically companies involved in composite repair. Via these demonstrations in the region that represents the largest market share, we aim to convince companies to adopt these technologies in their products and processes, and hence to advance the repair of composite materials.

Actual Achievements (EN):

In the transportation sector, composite materials enable substantial reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions due to their lightweight and high strength properties. Composites produce, however, a significant amount of waste. By 2025, Europe was projected to generate over 683 kilotons of composite waste annually. And with only 15% of that waste being recycled, the environmental cost is mounting. To align with the circular economy's waste hierarchy principles, extending the lifespan of composites through repair and reuse is crucial. The major challenge lies in the inextricable bonding of composite materials through adhesives. Conventional adhesives exhibit a two-fold challenge 1) they are primarily produced from fossil fuels and are therefore non-renewable, and 2) once applied, they hinder detachment and hence further repair, reuse, and recycling. Addressing this challenge is particularly desirable in the North- West Europe region, which has the largest composite and adhesive market share in Europe. Our team of transnational partners pooled their experience to develop a solution that could transform composite repair by searching for a new kind of adhesive that can be made from renewable resources and, just as importantly, can be removed on command. Our novel approach draws inspiration from historical materials and integrates recent developed bio-based adhesive formulations into existing pilot-scale debonding and composite repair setups from the project partners. The final goal of the project was to generate and present a large-scale demonstrator for a representative use case for the transportation sector, showing composite repair utilizing bio-based debondable adhesives. We chose the ‘Quick Composite patch Repair’ (QCR) to showcase the output of our research. Three potential bio-based adhesives have been identified: commercially available resins, Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), and biobased polystyrene. The resins have the advantage of being commercially available in large quantities and being compatible with promising debonding techniques such as expanding particles or moderate heating. For each of these adhesives, the adhesive strength was first tested on a small scale on the selected materials, examining the bonding under different environmental conditions. Based on the performance and the compatibility with the debonding techniques investigated, the most optimal adhesive for QCR in the aerospace sector, among the ones tested in this research, seems to be PLA. Additional research was done to refine the debonding technology to meet the requirements of the QCR demonstrator. Because PLA behaves like a hotmelt, it was logic to use conventional heating for both bonding and debonding of the repair patch. Debonding can therefore be achieved without addition of expandable or ferromagnetic particles. Heating can be performed via a heat blanket and debonding can be achieved close to the melting temperature of PLA (e.g. 165°C). Other technologies such as the addition of expandable additives make the process more complicated and do not add any additional benefit from a debonding perspective. The most suitable bio-based adhesive and debonding technology were carefully selected and its properties fine-tuned to meet the specific requirements of the QCR demonstrator while ensuring mutual compatibility. Subsequently, it was also necessary to adapt the required infrastructure and fine-tune the equipment settings for optimal performance. During our final workshop we demonstrated the complete quick composite repair process on a large-scale non-structural composite airplane part, to relevant industrial companies, providing a platform for dissemination and industry engagement. We showcased the applicability of our approach for non-structural composite parts on a representative use case. We focused on the transportation sector, the largest consumer of composites, and more specifically companies involved in composite repair. Industry professionals watched as the patch was applied and removed with ease. Maintenance crews praised the intuitive use of PLA. Adhesive suppliers were surprised to learn PLA was bio-based. And industrial stakeholders saw new possibilities—temporary sensor placement, magnet reuse, windshield removal, and more. Our demonstrator didn’t just prove a concept—it sparked conversations. It showed that circular repair is not only possible, but practical. It opened doors to future collaborations and inspired companies to rethink how they bond and debond materials. This project was more than research. It was a step toward a more sustainable, repairable, and circular future for composites in Europe.

Project outputs: Pilot scale demonstrator representative for transportation sector showing disassembling of non-structural composite parts with debondable bio-based adhesives(EN)
Solution to integrate bio-based adhesives with debonding techniques within a composite repair process representative for transportation sector(EN)
Website: http://bideba.nweurope.eu

Thematic information

Transport and mobility Waste and pollution Knowledge and technology transfer

Priority: (VI-B_NWE_4) Improving territorial resilience in NWE through innovative and smart transformation

Priority specific objective: RSO1.1. Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO1 A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity

Type of intervention: 010 Research and innovation activities in SMEs, including networking

Partners (6)

Lead Partner: Flanders Make

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 996435896

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BE0860.286.268

Department: CoDesignS – Circular Joining Technology

Address: Oude Diestersebaan, 3920 Lommel, Belgium

Department address: Oude Diestersebaan, 3920 Lommel, Belgium

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.flandersmake.be

Total budget: EUR 149 880.17

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 89 928.10

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 59 952.07

ACRATS Aircraft Structures

Name: ACRATS Aircraft Structures

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 923497910

Partner’s ID if not PIC: NL8540 45 569 B01 | CoC: 60754923

Address: Aviolandalaan, 4631RV Hoogerheide, Netherlands

Legal status: private

Organisation type: SME

Website: http://www.acrats.nl

Total budget: EUR 61 725.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 37 035.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 24 690.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER Article 20

GMI aero

Name: GMI aero

Department: R&I

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 997697769

Partner’s ID if not PIC: FR 90 328 961 073

Address: Rue Georges Auric, 75019 Paris, France

Department address: Rue Georges Auric, 75019 Paris, France

Legal status: private

Organisation type: SME

Website: http://www.gmi-aero.com

Total budget: EUR 302 700.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 181 620.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 121 080.00

GBER schemes / de minimis: GBER Article 20

Delft University of Technology

Name: Delft University of Technology

Department: Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 999977366

Partner’s ID if not PIC: NL001.569.569.B01 | 27364265 | Chamber of Commerce number (EN)

Address: Stevinweg, 2628 CN Delft, Netherlands

Department address: Mekelweg, 2628 CD Delft, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.tudelft.nl

Total budget: EUR 121 773.20

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 73 063.92

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 48 709.28

Stichting Avans

Name: Stichting Avans

Department: Centre of Expertise Safe & Resilient Society/ New Materials and Applications

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 953067681

Partner’s ID if not PIC: NL808852218B01 | KVK 41104408 | Chamber of Commerce identifier (EN)

Address: Professor Cobbenhagenlaan , 5037 DA Tilburg , Netherlands

Department address: Hogeschoollaan , 4818 CR Breda, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://Avans.nl

Total budget: EUR 157 675.50

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 94 605.30

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 63 070.20

Avans Hogeschool

Name: Avans Hogeschool

Department: Centre of Expertise Safe & Resilient Society/ New Materials and Applications

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 953067681

Partner’s ID if not PIC: NL808852218B01 | KVK 41104408 | Chamber of Commerce identifier (EN)

Address: Professor Cobbenhagenlaan , 5037 DA Tilburg , Netherlands

Department address: Hogeschoollaan , 4818 CR Breda, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://Avans.nl

Total budget: EUR 157 675.50

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 94 605.30

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 60.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 63 070.20

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

ACRATS Aircraft Structures

BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Partners and Projects info

GMI aero

BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Partners and Projects info

Technische Universiteit Delft

BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Partners and Projects info

Avans University of Applied Sciences

BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Partners and Projects info

Flanders Make

BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Partners and Projects info

Avans University of Applied Science

BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Project acronym: BiDebA

Project ID: NWE0300399

Project start date: 2024-01-01

Project end date: 2025-06-30

Project status: closed

Relevant mentions and prizes:

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 793 753.87

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 476 252.32

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 60.00%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 476 252.32. Co-financing rate, 60.00%.

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Report on evaluation commercially available resins
Report on evaluation PLA
Report on evaluation biobased polystyrene
Final report on
bio-based adhesive formulation and performancens
Report on selection most appropriate debonding technology for each selected bio-based adhesive
Report on the potential of historic natural additives
Report on optimal debonding parameters
Report on the ageing behaviour of the final bio-based adhesive mixed with particles
Report on technical specifications for composite repair in transportation sector
Pilot scale demonstrator
Best practices guide for integration of biobased adhesives & debonding solutions in composite repair
Report on selection of most appropriate bio-based adhesive + debonding technology
Communication report
Focused workshop on bio-based adhesive formulation
Focused workshop on debonding of bio-based adhesives
Final workshop
Communication to 2 conferences + manuscript ready for submission to 1 scientific journal
Communication report about outreach to networks and other relevant bodies
Plan for long term sustainability of demonstrator

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:

Delivered output indicator(s):

(RCO84) Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects : 1.0
(RCO116) Jointly developed solutions: 1.0

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:

Programme Result Indicator:

PSR 1: Organisations with increased institutional capacity due to their participation in cooperation activities across borders, Measurement unit: Organisations

Delivered result indicator(s):

(RCR104) Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations: 1.0
Organisations with increased institutional capacity due to their participation in cooperation activities across borders: 5.0

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

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B North West Europe

Latest month of project-partner-call data publication

2026-05

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

90 / 90 (100%)

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

985 / 985 (100%)

Notes on the data

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BioBased Debondable Adhesives

Description

Thematic information

Partners (6)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

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

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