Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPEJohannes Schneider works in the Research Department “Advanced Recycling” at Fraunhofer CCPE. His work focuses on improving the quality of recycled plastics, in particular on removing unwanted odors during recycling. The aim of his work is to enable consumer-oriented applications through odor optimization and thus contribute to the recyclability of plastics.
What do you do at Fraunhofer CCPE? What creative ideas are you currently pursuing in your field of research?
At Fraunhofer CCPE, I work on removing odorous substances during recycling. Recycled plastics often have an undesirable odor. This needs to be improved. To this end, we have first developed a method that allows the removal of odorous substances in recycling to be easily and comparatively evaluated. This enables us to optimize recycling processes specifically for odor removal in order to produce odor-free plastic recyclates in the future that can be used like new materials.
Do you have a specific project example, and why is it interesting for industry/society?
Odor is an important quality characteristic that determines the usability of recycled plastics. With the method we have developed, we can help recycling companies or manufacturers of recycling plants to optimize their products in a targeted manner. In this way, we enable a broader use of recycled materials, even in consumer-oriented applications, and contribute to the recyclability of plastics.
What has been your highlight at Fraunhofer CCPE so far?
What I particularly like about Fraunhofer CCPE is the interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration. This allows you to understand the common topic of the circular economy of plastics from different perspectives and gain insight into the diverse research areas and technologies that Fraunhofer CCPE combines. In addition to scientific exchange and interdisciplinary learning, the personal connections we make during projects and networking meetings also play an important role for me.
What does your everyday work look like?
My everyday work is very varied – and that's exactly what I like about it. I conduct research into odor removal in plastics recycling and solvent-based recycling, and plan and carry out experiments together with our team in the laboratory or technical center. Thanks to Fraunhofer's close ties to industry, the focus is also on the utilization and industrial implementation of our technologies. In project management, I take on tasks such as planning projects and liaising with research and industry partners. I am in regular contact with companies to tackle new challenges together.
How could Fraunhofer CCPE make the world a little better in the future?
With the help of our developments in the field of innovative recycling processes, we will be able to process waste that currently cannot be recycled or is difficult to recycle due to its composition into high-quality recycled plastics in the future, thus contributing to an increase in the recycling rate and the availability of high-quality recyclates. At the same time, we can offer sustainable and recyclable alternatives to plastic-based raw materials with new materials.