Research database

BIOMAPS - BIO-INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL BIOBASED POLYMER SYSTEMS

Duration:
01/05/2025 - 30/04/2028
Principal investigator(s):
Project type:
UE-funded research - HE - Global Challenges - Digital, Industry and Space
Funding body:
COMMISSIONE EUROPEA
Project identification number:
101177344
PoliTo role:
Partner

Abstract

During the times of diminishing natural resources, a huge challenge for our society is to efficiently design, produce, and optimize new safe and sustainable materials for various industrial sectors. Plastics industry has so far been slow to convert away from the unsustainable petrochemical plastics due to worse economic cost, less than satisfactory manufacturability, and inferior performance of bio-based alternatives. In the proposed project we develop a fully circular manufacturing value chain for bio-manufactured plastics, vitrimerized PolyHydroxyAlkanoates (PHAs). These materials show potential for replacing many petrochemical plastics owing to their thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. In addition, vitrimerization increases the tractability of PHAs towards manufacturing industries by enabling more flexible processability than traditional plastics, allowing for the introduction and fine control of novel bioinspired functionalities, such as self-healing, while retaining biodegradability. We propose that these properties, together with the modelling and AI-based tools developed in BIOMAPS will speed-up the adaptation of these biologically produced plastics to replace their petrochemical competitors in the manufacturing industry in Europe. This will be reached starting from low volume, high-value products, which enable establishing circular material loops to first lower the raw material prize before moving towards the high volume bulk applications. This sets the European manufacturing companies apart from their competitors and positions them as leaders in adopting innovative and environmentally friendly technologies.

People involved

Structures

Partners

  • POLITECNICO DI TORINO - AMMINISTRAZIONE CENTRALE
  • TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT Oy - Coordinator

Keywords

ERC sectors

PE5_15 - Polymer chemistry
PE5_1 - Structural properties of materials
PE5_14 - Macromolecular chemistry
PE8_11 - Sustainable design (for recycling, for environment, eco-design)
PE8_8 - Materials engineering (metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, etc.)

Sustainable Development Goals

Obiettivo 3. Assicurare la salute e il benessere per tutti e per tutte le età|Obiettivo 12. Garantire modelli sostenibili di produzione e di consumo

Budget

Total cost: € 4,997,734.05
Total contribution: € 4,997,734.05
PoliTo total cost: € 429,995.63
PoliTo contribution: € 429,995.63