Kordsa takes part in new EU-funded project within the scope of the Horizon 2020 program
Reinforcement leader Kordsa is among 22 project partners participating in the PolynSPIRE project within the framework of the Horizon 2020 program, the aims of which are to strengthen Europe’s research and technology development capacity, promote university-industry cooperation and develop cooperation in various fields. The main objective of PolynSPIRE is to demonstrate a set of innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for efficient plastic recycling. KoWi, the European Liaison Office of German Research Companies, hosted the kick-off meeting of the project on September 25th in Brussels. The project partners who came together at the kick off meeting had the chance to get to know each other as well as discussing the project management process and technical details of the recycling processes. At the meeting, Kordsa's R&D team shared their views on their role in, and expectations of, the project.
The PolynSPIRE project comprises 22 partner organizations from 11 countries, led by CIRCE, the Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption. The project has a duration of 48 months and addresses three innovation pillars. The first pillar is chemical recycling assisted by microwaves and smart magnetic catalysts. The second innovation is the use of advanced additivies and high energy irradiation to enhance the quality of recycled plastics. These two innovations can lead to a 33% direct reduction in the use of fossil fuels for the production of polyester, polyamide and polyurethane. The third expected output of the project is the valorization of plastic waste as a source of carbon for the steel industry, which can enable reductions of around 80% in the employment of fossil carbon sources in electric arc furnaces.