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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS: THEIR ROLE IN NANOTECHNOLOGY-BASED VALUE CHAINS. NANOTECHNOLOGY AS A VEHICLE FOR SUBSTITUTION

Objectives of the commitment

RAWNANOVALUE will create an international discussion network to interface EIP activities and efforts to introduce into the EU Nanotechnology VCs and roadmaps the concepts of resource efficiency management, Circular Economy and CRMs strategy.As a result, it will set up the framework conditions for enhanced efficiency in material use, waste prevention, re-use and recycling, and RMs efficient product design.
It will guide Nanotech. EU industry to increase its competitiveness in all strong added value sectors , while aligned with the RMs efficient use or independency. Hence, helping to achieve 2020 objectives of the EU’s Industrial Policy.
In addition, it will study the role of Nanotechnology as a vehicle to foster substitution of CRMs in the main EU industrial VCs, thus contributing to the EIP objective of substituting three applications of critical and scarce CRMs

Description of the activities

Nanotechnology (NT) is one of the main pillars in the European industrial development roadmap, bringing new opportunities to make everyday products (electronics, medicines, etc.)– better, cheaper and low in RMs. Fitting with the EU 2020 agenda for smart, sustainable and responsible growth, NT will help address key societal challenges facing the region (medical needs, efficient use of resources, renewable energy, carbon emissions reduction and climate change). By confronting these challenges head on through technological innovation NT will also bring economic growth and employment opportunities to the EU. RAWNANOVALUE will ensure that new EU NT based developments, VCs and innovation solutions, consider an efficient management and use of CRMs.The commitment is organized in three levels:#1 Academia and R&D Centers, #2 Industry (SMEs, LE, clusters),#3 EU Platforms and Networks (as relevant instruments to disseminate the results, interlink stakeholders and mobilize the actions). It gathers partners from 17 countries, with emphasis in the involvement of eastern EU (countries where NT has enormous potential of growth) and key players coordinating EU efforts both in NT (i.e. NIA, EU-NANOFUTURES) and in RMs efficient use or substitution (i.e. coordinators of Commitments RESET, CRM_INNONET, SUBST_EXTREME)
This scheme will provide the proper vehicle to interlink the main platforms, stakeholders, agencies and EU official bodies developing nanotechnology roadmaps and regulation, in order to ensure that new EU plans and efforts in NT development comply with the SIP of the EIP on RM.
Technical activity will start (but not restricted to) focusing around the four market-driven prioritized VCs identified by EU-Nanofutures roadmap (thus creating 4 WPs) with a particular networking WP, led by platforms, setting up the interface/communication/interlink platform:

VC1- Nano and micro printing for industrial manufacturing
VC2- Nano-enabled, depollutant and self-cleaning surfaces
VC3- Manufacturing of powders made of functional alloys, ceramics and intermetallics
VC4- Lightweight multifunctional materials and composites for transportation
VCs are aligned with H2020 structure and target 3 different conceptions that are also central in the Circular Economy concept and in the interrelated objectives of the RMs strategy:
1) Societal chain (societal layer of the value chain: safety, education, standardisation, communication, environment and regulation)
2) Production chain (technical layer of the value chain: modelling, materials, tools and equipment, metrology, components and assembly up to the final product)
3) Economic layer of the VC (ideation, proof of principle, business development, pre-production, full market and market expansion).
Such a technical analytical view will be interfaced, made compatible and synergetic to the already developed analysis by CRM_INNONET in the substitution flows of first EIP list of CRMs.
The Commitment will carry out workshops, working sessions, experts round tables, and international surveys, in order to prepare an international, cross sectorial, multidisciplinary, and cross fertilized view about how to relate and synchronize the SIP of the EIP of RMs to the EU NT Roadmap, setting a particular implementation plan and methodology of the Circular Economy and RMs policy in the EU industry within VCs above described. A complementary analysis of the main forefront technologies relying on each VC will be periodically developed to assess and update the substitution potential for each CRM regarding the given VC apps.

Description of the expected impacts

RAWNANOVALUE will have a direct impact over the way that the EU industrial development of Nanotechnology is conceived, both on the technological side (efficient use of CRMs, or use of Nanotechnological product as a substitutive solution) and on the economical/market side (implementing the Circular Economy). This means means to influence over a fastgrowing business sector, considered the most important industry of the future, with a global market of around $ 380 billion, projected to reach over $ 650 billion by 2020. Moreover, the European Nanotechnology industry employs more than 300 000 people directly, many of these in the over 5,000 Nanotechnology SMEs often structured in national and regional innovation clusters.
In addition, particularly RAWNANOVALUE, will have an influence in the design, concept, recycling, life-extension, production, commercialization and use of products and technologies identified with each of the VCs addressed:
VC1: Printed devices (i.e. printed metal, printed ceramics TCO …), 3D printed components, OLED, MEMS, Injection moulding tech. Electronics, CMOs-fabrication, packaging solutions.
VC2: Nanostructured surfaces, Photocatalysts, Nanopigments, Nanocoatings.
VC3: Nanopowders and Nanoalloys, Nanoporous systems for energy/aerospace applications, hybrid nanoporous polymers.
VC4: Multifunctional materials with embedded electronics, lightweight materials with increased resistance, lightweight alloys and materials, materials for sandwich panels, nanocomposite substances, low viscosity oils, MOFs.
What will be translated into real gains in EU industrial productivity, reliability, safety and cost competitiveness. Supply of low cost, high performance and environmentally friendly nanomaterials with improved reliability and lower production cost

Coordinating organisation & role

Name of the coordinating organisation: ICCRAM - UBUCountry: SpainEntity profile: AcademiaRole within the commitment:

NANOFUTURES - Chairing WG in CRMs, Experts in materials science, CRMs substitution. Links to regions / CRMs (ERRIN, EURADA, Government of Castilla y Leon - RIS3), industries (25 industries & 5 industrial clusters part of its management board), EU platforms (NIA, MANUKET), EIP-commitments in substitution (RESET, SUBST_EXTREME). Substitutive technology in alloys, electronics, lighting and permanent magnets. Circular Economy. Link EU-mining regions

Other partners

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Name of the organisation: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Fraunhofer will lead the CFRP and GFRP recycling research.
Fraunhofer will perform corrosion tests on the developed materials.
Fraunhofer will work with CIDAUT on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project. Fraunhofer is the Quality Manager of the Consortium and will oversee deliverables and general reporting are produced with the best possible quality following agreed review standards.

Fundacion Cidaut

Name of the organisation: Fundacion Cidaut Country: Spain Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: CIDAUT will lead the research activities on materials recycling and compounding, implementing lab scale demonstrators of each process at its premises and, later, supporting end-users upscale the processes.
CIDAUT will perform mechanical tests, microstructural analyses, injection moulding capability studies on the developed materails, and will work with Fraunhofer on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project.

RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV)

Name of the organisation: RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV) Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: RWTH will implement the novel 3D Generative Preforming process (3D Fibre Spraying) that enables to create high-value long fibre-reinforced 3D preforms for thermoplastic and thermoset composites at low process costs (different kinds of yarn as a raw material, low tooling costs due to low cavity pressures). This cost effective technology allows to align the sprayed fibres in order to produce high-performance, engineered anisotropic products.

Universita' di Cagliari

Name of the organisation: Universita' di Cagliari Country: Italy Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: University of Cagliari is one of the leading European organization in the resin design and coupling with thermoplastic and thermose materials. University of Cagliari will support in the definition of the composite materials, both from CFRP/GFRP, ABS and Rare Earth composite material.

Relight

Name of the organisation: Relight Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: RELIGHT will work with ITRB to provide the research partners with residues for the recycled ABS supply and the REE recovery processes, including their HydroWEEE process as part of the processes to be studied and analyzed.

Piaggio Aerospace

Name of the organisation: Piaggio Aerospace Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - large company
Role within the commitment: Piaggio Aerospace is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Piaggio will assist in the compounds selection, provide Fraunhofer with specific corrosion requirements on business jet size aircraft, and will assess that the developed materials performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

Blackshape Aircrafts

Name of the organisation: Blackshape Aircrafts Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: Blackshape Aircrafts is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Blackshape will support to fulfill the requirements of the aeronautics industry on ultra light jet, light jet and trainer for Syllabus, and will assess that the developed alloys performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

KU Leuven

Name of the organisation: KU Leuven Country: Belgium Entity profile: Academia
Role within the commitment: KUL will collaborate on the balance problem studies and will lead the rare earth recovery research with the solvometallurgical and ionometallurgical processes.
KUL will also contribute to the final compounding selection.
KUL is the Dissemination Manager of the project, promoting that all partners are active on the project Dissemination.

FIDAMC

Name of the organisation: FIDAMC Country: Spain Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: FIDAMC is going to lead the Work Package on Compression Moulding with CFRP-enhanced materials. As part of the AIRBUS Group, FIDAMC will also be able to provide the input material.
FIDAMC successfully developed a 3D Printer of own design to serve the Aerospace Industry and will be supporting Smart Lab 3D Industries in its 3D printer design.

COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER

Name of the organisation: COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER Country: Canada Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Composite Innovation Center is one of the world leading organization in the field of Composite materials, both from carbon fiber and vegetal-based fibers.
Composite Innovation center has successfully implemented, at lab-scale, recycling processes for CFRP and GFRP.

Existing EU Contribution: Yes

Period to implement the commitment: from 01-09-2016 to 01-09-2020