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HEIndividual fellowship2023–2025

PolyBioDeg · Structure-properties of melt-spun bioplastic fibers in correlation with their biodegradation behaviour and mechanical performance

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-05-01 → 2025-04-30
EU contribution
€203,464
Participants
2
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Structure-properties of melt-spun bioplastic fibers in correlation with their biodegradation behaviour and mechanical performance

The PolyBioDeg project addresses the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to conventional synthetic textile fibers, which are a major source of microplastic pollution and long-term environmental harm. With more than 60% of global textiles made from non-biodegradable fossil-based polymers like PET and PA, the textile industry urgently requires a shift toward circular, bio-based solutions with no persistent microplastics. PolyBioDeg aims to investigate the correlation of structure-properties of melt-spun biodegradable fibers making fibers from different biodegradable polymers and testing in different conditions (including biodegradation). The project builds upon promising lab-scale results already achieved by Senbis Polymer Innovations, where PLA-based filaments were successfully melt-spun and drawn to create continuous yarns. These early findings serve as proof of technical feasibility and open the pathway for further optimization of mechanical properties and process stability. The project's strategic objective is to understand the requirements for a biodegradable textile fiber while considering the mechanical properties and sustainability in correlation with the chemistry of the polymer, processing parameters, and environmental conditions. PolyBioDeg aligns with European Green Deal goals and the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles by directly tackling plastic pollution at its source. It will deliver a significant impact by fundamental understanding about the correlation between chemistry-processing-properties-biodegradation while enabling the replacement of conventional synthetic fibers in selected product categories, thereby reducing the environmental footprint and supporting the transition to a bio-based economy. The consortium’s multidisciplinary approach ensures a holistic development trajectory from formulation to application, setting the stage for future market entry and regulatory readiness.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Polymeric textile fibers, are one of the main sources of microplastics pollution in the open environment. The European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy acknowledges the need for increased R&D on biodegradable polymers. A key challenge of biodegradable plastics is that the biodegradation rate and material performance (e.g. mechanical and thermal) very often oppose each other. It is therefore difficult to develop products that meet the performance requirements that users expect, and still offer a substantial ecological advantage through fast biodegradation in the open environment. It is of importance to the future health of humanity and the natural world that a well-performing, scalable, and affordable biodegradable textile fiber will be developed. As this is intrinsically difficult, we need more fundamental understanding on how molecular design parameters (e.g. chain stiffness and chain interactions) and physiochemical properties (e.g. crystallization) influence biodegradation behavior on the one hand and fiber spinning and fiber performance on the other hand. The key outcome of the project is a clear understanding of how we can influence the biodegradation of a fiber, whilst having a good spinning process and fiber performance. It is likely that besides understanding, actual novel biosynthetic fibers will be developed in this project. The applicant Dr. Mohammadreza Naeimirad is an expert in melt-spinning of fibers and he is supervised by Bas Krins from Senbis Polymer Innovations B.V. as the host organization, and Prof. Gert-Jan M Gruter from University of Amsterdam (UvA) for the secondment. Senbis provides unique expertise and facilities on melt-spinning and evaluation whereas the UvA does so in the area of synthesis and biodegradation.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • SENBIS POLYMER INNOVATIONS BV · EmmenCoordinatorNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · AmsterdamNetherlands

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union