Project

Recycling and end-of-life strategies for sustainability and climate

Our current linear economy needs to transist into a circular economy to diminish climate change and the depletion of our resources. Combining recycling and circular use of carbon containing materials with the transition of fossil resources towards biobased resources will lead to carbon negative materials. Examples of circular use/recycling of carbon containing (biobased) materials are paper recycling and recycling of post consumer plastics packaging. Still, there are many more carbon containing materials and products that need developments towards circular use. This project specifically focusses on post-consumer textile recycling and recyclable composite (thermoset) materials that need dedicated new strategies for recycling. Developments and lessons learned with respect to paper and plastic recycling wil be used to enhance these developments including technical challenges and solutions, consumer perception and behavior and safety and risks issues.

Abstract

The aim of this project is to develop improved and new strategies for the safe reuse and recycling of carbon-based materials; textile and composite materials. Within the project it is studied which technological routes offer the best potential for the development of recyclable/circular materials (material development, redesign collection and sorting en recycling,). Moreover, methods are developed to determine safety and/or risks of recycled products and the main determinants of recycling/circular behaviour are studied, in order to design and test interventions.

Publications