EnviroPlast

Sustainable plastic parts from biogenic residues for the environmentally friendly future of the automotive and construction industries (EnviroPlast)

The RUBIN alliance aims to use biogenic by-products and residues in a targeted manner as raw materials for the production of biopolymers as well as reinforcing and filling materials. Residual materials containing fibers, such as sawn timber from sawmills, cereal straw, chaff, shives and many types of green waste, are particularly suitable for this purpose. The material use of biogenic residues is still at a very low level: in Germany alone, up to approx. 200 million tons of residues containing fibres are produced every year. However, to date these have remained largely unused or have only been put to low-value use (usually as fuel or bedding). EnviroPlast wants to change this.

By using fiber-containing residues for the production of bioplastics and biocomposites, the amount of additional agricultural land required for the cultivation of raw materials for plastics production can be significantly reduced. In order to cover the current demand for plastics in Germany with conventional agricultural products - as a basis for the production of biopolymers - up to 60 percent of Germany's existing agricultural land would be required. This would have far-reaching consequences, particularly for food production. EnviroPlast aims to solve this problem without significantly changing existing economic processes and lifestyles. In this way, the RUBIN alliance combines sustainability with economic efficiency.

The use of residual materials containing fibers as fillers in plastics - the second key project objective - reduces the amount of plastic required and the use of synthetic fibers and additives. This not only reduces the_{CO2 footprint} of the manufacturing company, but also saves material costs.

EnviroPlast aims to achieve a high quality of plastic parts from biogenic, regional waste materials - in line with the specific requirements of the automotive and construction industries. To this end, the RUBIN alliance pursues a holistic approach that takes into account the entire value chain - from harvesting and component production to the end user and material recycling.

TU Dresden is involved in Network 1 ("Provision and processing of residual materials for material use") with the sub-project "Development/characterization of novel provision and processing methods of residual biomass for further processing into thermoplastic NFRP/WPC granulates". Here, the available residual materials are analyzed and prepared for compounding. In addition to the processability, the chemical composition, physical and anatomical properties of these residual materials are also investigated. The knowledge gained will be used in the project to optimize the use of fillers and reinforcing fibres. The aim is to meet the high demands of compounding and the manufacture of components with plastics.

TU Dresden is involved in Network 2 ("Semi-finished product production") with the sub-project "Development of novel thermoplastic semi-finished products from regional agricultural residues". In this project, the compounding process for the selected residual materials is being investigated and optimized for the industrial process. The available residues are compounded with various plastics and analyzed by means of mechanical tests. The appropriate compound mixtures will be selected to suit the planned applications and enable processing in extrusion and injection molding processes.

The results of the two sub-projects of TU Dresden will be incorporated into the work of Network 3 ("Plastics Processing and Component Manufacturing"). The aim here is to transfer the processed residual materials and developed semi-finished products into concrete components for the rail and vehicle sector as well as the construction sector.

Partner

4D-LIGHTweight GmbH
Component and process optimization using additive manufacturing

BASF SE Polyamides & Compounds (associated)
Global portfolio of engineering plastics for innovative E&E applications in industrial, consumer and automotive electronics

CTL Lodenau GmbH & Co KG
Material recovery in road construction and digestion of wood residues

DRS - Rohrwerke Sachsen GmbH Plastic pipes
System provider for high-quality cable protection, ventilation and chimney pipes as well as special solutions

eco-softfibre GmbH & Co KG (associated)
Production of environmentally friendly bio-foam from natural material

enesty GmbH
Tailor-made solutions in the areas of injection molds, temperature control and additive manufacturing

Entwicklungsgesellschaft Niederschlesische Oberlausitz mbH (associated)
Comprehensive project development and implementation as well as company support

HS Timber Productions GmbH (associated)
Traditional wood processing company

Initiative applied biomass technology Oberlausitz UG
Provision/mining/processing of raw and residual materials using innovative harvesting methods

kluge GmbH (alliance coordinator)
Manufacturer of complex machines and systems, particularly for harvesting and processing technology

Landwirtschaftsbetrieb Hartmann (associated)
Sustainable and environmentally friendly farming business in the 4th generation

Lausitzer Naturfaser Ebersbach UG
Individual fiber preparation and shaping processes for the production of ecological packaging

LXP Group GmbH
Industrial biotechnology for the economical and ecological processing of plant residues

Menzolit GmbH (associated)
Production of bio-SMC/BMC from waste materials

Mitras Composites Systems GmbH
Development and production of complex SMC and BMC components from small to large series

Plastic Concept GmbH
Innovative solutions and products for the automotive industry

PulpTec Compound GmbH & Co KG
Modern compounding technology for the processing of thermoplastics and their composites

PUS Produktions- und Umweltservice GmbH (associated)
Processing and screening technology for research purposes

RTT System GmbH
Specialized solutions for sorting and processing various types of waste

Siemens Mobility Austria GmbH (associated)
Rail vehicle construction, in particular development of plastic-based rail vehicle components and fulfillment of rail-specific requirements

Volkswagen AG (associated)
Users of bio-based interior, construction and structural components

Fraunhofer Plastics Center Oberlausitz (associated)
Natural fiber-reinforced plastic components, additive manufacturing

Wagner & Wegner UG
Specialist in the processing and shaping of textile waste materials

Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Chair for function-integrating plastics technologies
Plastics processing, natural fiber composites, sustainable production

TU Dresden, Chair of Wood Technology and Fiber Materials Technology
Cascaded bioeconomic product and process developments and material combinations

Funding reference

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