Path 2 - Circularity of Carbon in Materials

Path 2 - Circularity of Carbon in Materials

Circularity of Carbon in Materials

Program Details Path 2

Plastics are everywhere. We use this carbon-based, lightweight material to package our food, insulate our houses, build wind turbines, cut transport costs, and so much more. Thanks to all the advantages and applications of plastics, a modern society without them is simply impossible to imagine. Yet, after they have been used, many carbon-based plastics end up being burned. During incineration, plastic waste releases vast amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere. The Moonshot initiative seeks to curb this type of CO₂ emissions. The second Moonshot Research Path, Circularity of Carbon in Materials (Path 2), supports innovative research into the recycling and reusing of plastic waste.

By developing new mechanical and chemical recycling technologies, plastic and other carbon-containing waste can be repurposed to make building blocks for new plastics and products. Through recycling, the percentage of plastics that is being reused can be increased. At the same time, the percentage of plastics that is being burned can be decreased to a minimum.

This closes the circle: it keeps carbon in materials in circulation throughout the value chain for as long as possible. CO₂ is not released into the atmosphere but remains trapped in plastics. This way, circularity is a crucial pathway to make the Flemish industry carbon circular and low in CO₂ by 2050.

Some plastics are complex and contain several types of material. Recycling them is a challenge. In the future, plastics need to be carefully designed to guarantee easy recycling, preserve functionality and ensure lasting quality.

Even if the circle is almost closed, a small fraction of virgin raw materials will always be required to compensate for imperfections in recycling and reuse. Renewable raw materials, such as monomers that are biobased or made from the direct reuse of captured CO₂ (so-called CCU or Carbon Capture and Utilization), will need to be used as a necessary supplement. The sustainability impact of these scenarios will have to be studied and monitored thoroughly to create a truly circular plastics economy. Take into account the energy impact of your innovation, both on process and system level considering quantity, flexibility, and availability. Below is a list indicating specific research areas of interest and points of attention. This list is not exhaustive. Additionally, logistics about waste collection and circularity should be considered in the project proposal, if applicable to the topic.

Specific research areas of interest and attention points

• Detection and identification of different polymers: technology, digitization, optimization routines, etc.

• Focus on mono-materials or multilayered mono-material systems that are more recyclable (design-for-recycling / eco-design, e.g., to address extended producer responsibility) and are easy to debond.

• Research into the design for simple mechanical recycling and research aiming at the creation of a depolymerisation toolbox are currently underrepresented in the Moonshot project portfolio.

• Bio-based materials and recycling: removal of impurities, separation, and circularity.

Goals and KPIs

1. Develop technology to recycle 70% of post-consumer volume (contaminated) polyolefins (TRL 6) by 2030 (by combining mechanical and chemical recycling, but with the main contribution expected from new technology for chemical recycling). With the ambition to transform 75% of all polyolefin-type plastics at the end of their cycle of use into building blocks for new products by 2040.

2. Develop technology to recycle 60% of the post-consumer volume of heteropolymers (TRL 6) by 2030 (by combining mechanical and chemical recycling, but with the main contribution expected from new chemical recycling technology). With the ambition to be able to transform 80% of all heteropolymer-type plastics (polyamides, polyurethanes, PET) at the end of their cycle of use into building blocks for new products, by 2040.

3. Develop 2 chemical platforms for more easily recyclable plastics (‘chemical design for recyclability’) up to TRL 6 by 2030. These platforms are focused on high-quality plastics for technical applications (heteropolymers).

4. By 2040, the technology must enable to obtain 75% of all plastics that are put into circulation in Flanders via (mechanical & chemical) recycling (or biomass or CCU).

5. Resulting in a drastic reduction in CO₂ emissions (e.g. through the combustion of end-of-life plastics) of around 1 million ton of CO₂/year.