Objectives of the commitment
Antimony (Sb) is in widespread use. One of its major employ is as a fire retardant in many applications, including plastics, electronic components, furniture, and so on. It is a regulatory obligation to use fire retardants, but there are still no substitutes today to Sb.
Based on current reserves it is estimates that there are only 8 years worth of antimony reserves.
The main objective of this commitment is to propose a new material, obtained from recycled waste, as substitute of Sb, for fire retardant applications. This material is made by inertized fly ash of different origins, as municipal solid waste incineration fly ash, and silica waste residues. Preliminary research activity, made by using it as a filler for PVC, showed very promising results of using this recovered material as fire retardant. Due to its high silica content also the possibility to use it as substitute of Sb in glass will be explored.
Sb is an emerging toxic contaminant, then its substitution is mandatory. Moreover the second objective of the commitment is the recycle of Sb in e-waste.
Description of the activities
The commitment will be concentrated in the following activities:
⢠Explore the feasibility of a new cost-effective stabilization technology for waste reuse as a filler in plastics, for flame retardant applications. For this aim experimental tests with the obtained composites made on recovered waste and different polymers will be designed and realized.
⢠Obtain total substitution of Sb with the new obtained materials, in plastics.
⢠Explore the possibility of employ the obtained material as Sb substitute also in glass applications.
⢠Life Cycle Assessment study. LCA is expected to prove the environmental efficacy of this technology compared with landfilling and current use of antimony in plastics and in glass.
⢠Develop a recover strategy for Sb in e-waste.
⢠Establish a EU-wide research and innovation platform that bring together a wide range of actors from basic and applied research to industries.
⢠Strengthening the Raw materials Research and Innovation dialogue, collaboration between the EU authorities and industries and researchers, and improving the initiatives in the society.
Description of the expected impacts
The expected impacts of the commitment are severals:
⢠Elimination of the EU's dependency on imports of Sb.
⢠Substitution of antimony in plastics. This will allow also to reduce the toxicity of the obtained final good.
⢠Development of new green technologies, based on the use of waste materials. This will also allow to better integrate environmental concerns in economic decisions in the context of sustainable development.
⢠Create new markets, based on the re-use of waste materials. This commitment will allow also to create new added value products, through the recycle of industrial waste destined to landfilling.
⢠Create new jobs opportunity related to the production of these new materials.
⢠Push the Europe to forefront in the area of raw materials substitution technologies and make a substantial difference to the competitiveness of European industry.
Coordinating organisation & role
Name of the coordinating organisation: CSMT ScarlCountry: ItalyEntity profile: OtherRole within the commitment:
CSMT is a centre of excellence of the Lombardy Region. Its role in the project is aimed at developing and enhancing the infrastructure, laboratories and research centres and enterprises participating to the call for commitment, with the goal of achieving the aims of the commitment and to encourage the integration with the research activities and industries.
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 01-06-2014 to 31-12-2020