Trade Fair Achema 2022

Meet us at the joint booth of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. We are looking forward to exchange ideas and to discuss circular plastics solutions with you in person. 

Exhibits

• Fraunhofer CCPE und Circular Readiness Level^® (CRL^®)

In the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence "Circular Plastics Economy" CCPE, six Fraunhofer institutes are using plastics as an example to research how the sustainable transformation of an entire value chain can take place under the principles of the circular economy (see www.ccpe.fraunhofer.de ). Through this collaboration, R&D competencies and infrastructures are bundled in order to design products in a circular manner, to develop suitable business models and to transform plastic waste into valuable resources. One highlight is the CRL® (see www.crl.fraunhofer.de/selfcheck/ ): a web-based tool that companies can use to self-assess the maturity of products or product systems with regard to the circular economy. It checks the extent to which a product already takes into account circular economy strategies in the areas of product design, product service system, end-of-life management, and circular economy, and where there is still potential for improvement.

• Fiber-reinforced monomaterial composite of polylactic acid PLA

Within the Fraunhofer Cluster Circular Plastics Economy CCPE, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institutes IAP and ICT are developing innovative PLA-based monomaterial composites (organosheets) that address technical applications and contribute to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly with regard to recyclability.

The reinforcement of the biobased and biodegradable PLA matrix is based on thermally resistant stereocomplex (sc)PLA filament yarns, which have a melting temperature of 230 °C due to their crystalline structure and yet ensure chemical uniformity of the entire composite material. Following the successful development of demonstrators, current research activities are focused on further improving the tensile and ductility properties of scPLA-PLA organosheets in order to establish new application areas for PLA-based products.

• Improvement of the optical and mechanical properties of PE film recyclates

In addition to the mechanical properties, the visual impression is of particular importance to the production of films. Defects in the form of specks, fish eyes or cracks, which can lead to problems especially when recycled materials are used, have to be avoided. However, the direct use of a film regranulate often leads to many fractures during film production, which, in addition to black spots, also show fatal effects on the mechanical properties. Although fractures can be prevented by a homogenization step in the form of extrusion, the black spots remain in the films. Only by adding a suitable additive formulation the film quality, i.e. significantly fewer defects and fractures, can be substantially improved. As a result, the optical and mechanical properties of the recycled films can be enhanced and a further life cycle can be achieved.

Fraunhofer Cluster Circular Plastics Economy CCPE

The Fraunhofer Cluster Circular Plastics Economy CCPE bundles the competencies of six Fraunhofer institutes:

• Fraunhofer UMSICHT
• Fraunhofer IAP
• Fraunhofer ICT
• Fraunhofer IML
• Fraunhofer LBF
• Fraunhofer IVV.