Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPEMonomaterial – The key to the circular economy
Products made from a mono-material enable closed and efficient material cycles. As a result, they are shaping the future of sustainable design and engineering.
In a world where circular economy is becoming increasingly important, but cost pressures and demands on companies are also rising, we focus on innovative solutions that are not only functional but also sustainable. Monomaterial construction is at the heart of our developments. It combines performance expectations for composites and components with the requirement for recyclability.
What is monomaterial?
In plastics technology, the term “monomaterial” is used in connection with products whose individual components are all based on the same polymer. If this is a thermoplastic, the product can be completely and efficiently mechanically recycled as a “single-type material” – without any prior dismantling process. This greatly simplifies recycling processes. Not only does this reduce waste, it also conserves natural resources.
The advantages of monomaterial:
- Complete recyclability: The single-material structure enables efficient recycling of the material used, resulting in less waste and a lower environmental impact.
- No adhesives: The monomaterial construction based on thermoplastics is ideal for welded joints, minimizing the use of adhesives and further optimizing the recyclability and reusability of individual components.
- Lower carbon footprint: Monomaterial products have a lower carbon footprint compared to multi-material systems, making them an environmentally friendly choice.
Examples of applications of the Fraunhofer CCPE:
- Circular child seat: Our circular child seat (see Fig. 1) combines the monomaterial approach with a sophisticated design for the circular economy. It is fully recyclable at the end of its service life. Its modular design makes it easy to disassemble (to separate metal components that are necessary for safety reasons) and reuse the components, which facilitates refurbishment or remanufacturing processes.
- Circular reusable transport box: Against the backdrop of increasing requirements in food shipping, Fraunhofer CCPE has developed an innovative reusable transport box (see Fig. 2) as a demonstrator. This box is specially designed to meet the higher requirements of food shipping and fulfills a variety of criteria.
- Self-reinforced injection molding: If an injection-molded component contains reinforcing fibers made of the same material as the injection-molded thermoplastic, the result is a self-reinforced fiber-reinforced plastic. As Fig. 3 illustrates using the example of a loop structure, this enables significant increases in stiffness and strength compared to unreinforced thermoplastics. After mechanical recycling, the secondary material can be efficiently spun back into continuous fibers, so that the material properties remain at a similar level over several recycling cycles (avoiding fiber shortening during recycling), in contrast to carbon- or glass-fiber-reinforced plastics.
Together into the future
The vision at Fraunhofer CCPE is to develop forward-looking circular solutions. Let's work together to create innovative design concepts that meet the requirements of the circular economy while opening up economic opportunities.
Contact us to learn more about our monomaterial solutions and how we can turn your ideas into reality. Let's shape a sustainable future together!