ReBioCycle is an Innovation Action funded by the Circular Bio-based Joint Undertaking (JU): the project kick off took place in October in Dublin, hosted by the coordinator, Kevin O’Connor, who is professor at the University College Dublin and Director of BiOrbic.
The challenges that ReBioCycle will address in the next four years of work are several: The integration of biobased biodegradable plastics into the circular economy requires the establishment of collection and sorting strategies for bio-based biodegradable plastics that are compatible with current waste management practices and their subsequent recycling through novel technologies. The recycling of biobased plastics into recycled high-performing materials is a key challenge. Biobased plastic waste does not yet constitute a relevant amount of the total plastic waste (being only 1% in weight1). Still due to their high weight in the political agenda it is easy to foresee that biobased plastics will gain a relevant market share in the near future. A first challenge is the lack of data on the sorting and recycling of these biobased biodegradable polymers at demonstration scale. To support their entry into the market we need to consider the end-of-life of these plastics. ReBioCycle will test and scale existing and new technologies for mechanical, chemical and biological recycling of biobased biodegradable plastics.
A second challenge is represented by the scale: Data for the recycling of biobased biodegradable plastics exists at lab scale, but not at higher TRL levels. ReBioCycle will scale to pilot and demonstration scale to advance the technology readiness level of these technologies to accelerate their implementation in the marketplace.
A third challenge lies in establishing an efficient collection and sorting pr