Funding for RUG researchers from National Growth Fund programme Circular Plastics NL

Professors Patrizio Raffa and Katja Loos of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (RUG) will together receive 1.2 million euros from the National Growth Fund programme Circular Plastics NL. Raffa will research a new approach to the production of polyolefin materials, which is used among others in packaging materials. Loos will work on improving the recyclability of composite materials.

Of the total amount for the five-year projects, companies will contribute at least ten percent. The goal of Circular Plastics NL (CPNL) is to make plastics fully circular by 2050.

Improving recyclability of plastics

Polyolefins, plastics widely used as packaging materials and in consumer products, are difficult to recycle. Increasing quantities of these are produced every year. The aim of Raffa's research is to produce polyolefin materials with versatile and adaptable properties that are easy to process and much more recyclable than conventional polyolefins. Partners in this project are Gdansk University of Technology and chemical manufacturing company SABIC.

Fully recyclable composite

Loos' project aims to make composite materials more environmentally friendly for solid surfaces, such as kitchen worktops. Traditional composites are difficult to recycle. By using dynamic bonds in composite materials, traditional composites will be transformed with reversible network rearrangement. This will make the material fully recyclable. Partners in this project are NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, AOC Resins and Marlan Solid Surface.