Waste4Future: Fraunhofer institutes pool expertise to determine energy efficient recycling pathways

14 May 2021 --- Seven Fraunhofer institutes are pooling their expertise to create new plastic recycling opportunities for the chemical industry. 

Called Waste4Future, the “lighthouse project” will use screening and sensor technologies to assess plastic waste’s type, quality and specific reuse potential. Fraunhofer will then recommend the most suitable and lowest energy-demanding recycling pathway.

Running through 2023, the project’s wider goal is to reduce the chemical industry’s dependence on fossil raw materials, produce fewer carbon emissions and prevent plastic waste incineration.

Speaking with PackagingInsights, Fraunhofer experts leading Waste4Future explain the entropy-based rating model approach to separating plastic waste and streamlining new recycling tech.

“Reducing both plastic waste and CO2 emissions have high public and political priority, but the industry is hesitating,” maintains project lead Dr.-Ing. Sylvia Schattauer, deputy director of Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS).

“We hope to boost plastic recycling by demonstrating pilot-scale results to industry and showing a new field of business options.”

How does it work?
The project’s entropy-based rating model aims to reorganize the recycling chain from “process-guided” to “material-guided.” This new method of sorting waste streams identifies which exact materials and plastic fractions are contained in the waste.

Dr. Schattauer and Prof. Dr. Michel are spearheading the Waste4Future project. 

By separating the total stream based on this analysis, Fraunhofer can decide which recycling route is the most technically, ecologically and economically sensible for specific waste quantities.

Plastic waste unsuitable for mechanical recycling is rerouted to chemical recycling, with aims to preserve the maximum possible amount of carbon compounds. Plastic waste incineration is subsequently no longer required.

“Based on Waste4Future’s results, Fraunhofer will support the industry in the form of R&D projects and consulting services,” details Waste4Future’s technical head Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Michel. He also leads the polymer applications business unit at Fraunhofer Institute IMWS.

Fraunhofer will also study the effects of rising prices for CO2 certificates or new regulatory requirements. The project consortium will conduct comprehensive life cycle analysis studies for the individual recycling technologies to identify potential environmental risks and opportunities.

Predicting challenges ahead
Several “considerable” R&D challenges must be overcome for the project to be successful. Input materials and recyclates will have to be evaluated based on ecological, economic and technical criteria.

The FlexiSlag test facility in Freiberg develops “next-gen” slag bath gasification for variable fuel qualities, including from waste. 

The project will focus on developing suitable sensor technologies that can reliably identify materials in the sorting system. Machine learning methods will also be used, which the project aims to link to a “digital twin” representing the properties of the processed materials.

Mechanical recycling is also in need of improvement, with processes and technologies needing to be established for the key points in the material utilization of plastic fractions.

When asked about the barriers to chemical recycling going mainstream, Schattauer lists limited pricing of CO2 emissions as one of the key limitations.

“This often makes plastic waste incineration the most economic way to handle waste. Increased pricing of CO2 emissions makes chemical recycling more and more economically attractive,” she explains, noting the potential of the method to go “up to break-even and beyond.”

Previous Fraunhofer initiatives
The Fraunhofer Institute IMWS is leading the Waste4Future project. The six other institutes involved are: 

• Non-Destructive Testing (IZFP)
• Materials Recycling and Resource Strategy (IWKS)
• Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB)
• High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR) 
• Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF)
• Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV)

Last year, Fraunhofer Institute kicked off the four-year EU-funded FlexFunction2Sustain eco-friendly packaging initiative. The project envisages new business opportunities by replacing glass and metal with nano-functionalized plastic or paper surfaces in various products, enabling reductions in weight and cost and mechanical flexibility gains.

Fraunhofer IVV has also worked on removing impurities in polystyrene mechanical recycling originating from waste streams.

By Anni Schleicher