CIDAUT, as part of this network, works together with Aclima, Gaiker Foundation, AIMPLAS, ANARPLA and VALORIZA Environmental Services, developing solutions that benefit key sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, renewable energies and the electric-electronic sector, thus creating the CÍCLiCOM Innovation Ecosystem.
The Basque Environmental Industry Cluster(Aclima), the Gaiker Foundation, the Technological Institute of Plastics(AIMPLAS), the National Association of Plastic Recyclers(ANARPLA), the Foundation for Research and Development in Transport and Energy(CIDAUT) and VALORIZA Environmental Services have launched the Innovation Ecosystem CÍCLiCOM, which brings together technology centers, companies and associations in the joint challenge of promoting the effective circular economy of composite materials and, in particular, of “complex plastics”.
The project has been financed by the CDTI‘s Innovation Ecosystems program, whose objective is to promote the arrival of technological capabilities developed by the “Cervera” Centers and Technological Institutes of Excellence to the economic and social environment, fostering their valorization and the contribution to the consolidation of innovative ecosystems. The call is included in the actions foreseen in the National Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience (PRTR), and receives funding from the European Union’s “Next Generation EU” through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.
Composite materials, commonly known as ‘composites’, are those formed by the union of two or more materials of different nature, in order to achieve properties superior to those presented by all their elements separately, such as strength, high temperature performance, weight, hardness, conductivity, etc. These are materials such as PP polypropylene, PA polyamides, PC polycarbonates, UP unsaturated polyester, PU polyurethanes or SI silicones.
The peculiarity of these composite materials lies in the fact that, in them, the original materials maintain their identity as a whole. However, due to their characteristics, once their useful life is over, they often end up in landfills because there are no technically and economically viable recovery alternatives. The CÍCLiCOM project seeks precisely to promote technological solutions that make possible the recovery and valorization of these composite materials, and their subsequent reintroduction into the production cycle.
In this way, companies will be accompanied so that they can implement the necessary technologies for the management of composite material waste, making its recovery, valorization and reintroduction into the production cycle viable. In addition, behavioral models of final products will be developed to facilitate their reuse in production processes and, thus, access to recovered raw materials.
The use of composite materials is common in most production sectors, including strategic sectors such as aeronautics, automotive, electrical-electronics and renewable energies. In fact, they form part of strategic elements such as wind blades, printed circuit boards or the structure of airplanes.
In Spain alone, the market for this type of materials is estimated at 2,000 million euros (according to data from 2022), and the market trend points to a growing demand for recycled materials. Various studies estimate, in fact, that there is currently a 20% deficit between supply and demand for recovered plastics in Europe as a whole, and that this trend will grow in the coming years.
Promoting the recovery, valorization and reintroduction into the production cycle of recovered composite materials, in addition to having a positive impact on the environment, will bring significant economic benefits to companies, reducing costs with recycled products. According to various studies, work along these lines will make it possible to increase resource productivity in Europe by 3% by 2030, which would translate into savings of up to 600 billion euros per year.
In addition, the promotion of the circular economy of this type of materials will generate economic activity in itself, with the consequent generation of employment.
The project will also be based on business collaboration, both within and outside the State, and will work on the elaboration of company-specific “technology roadmaps”, which provide a clear and structured overview of relevant technological trends and development opportunities in the field of complex plastic waste valorization.
As a complement to this, work will also focus on the education and training of professionals involved in the plastic waste recovery industry, offering relevant knowledge and practical skills aimed at improving the competitiveness and internationalization of companies, as well as fostering innovation, the exchange of knowledge and the development of sustainable solutions in the field of waste management.
All in all, CICLiCOM, through the promotion of the circular economy, will boost the competitiveness and internationalization of companies in different productive sectors, promote innovation, facilitate business collaboration and strengthen value chains. It will also promote the competitiveness of companies through services that foster the implementation of advanced technologies and activities that promote collaboration and continuous training.
