Overview
ELIOT aims to provide new innovative and green technologies for EoL of commonly used natural fibres and biobased resins with increased resource efficiency and fully align these biomaterials with the circular economy principles (Figure 1). To this end, the project will propose and develop innovative solutions for the EoL of the new generation of biocomposites by:
- reviewing the current treatment technologies for conventional FRP composite waste;
- evaluating their potential suitability to be applied to the biocomposite waste and selecting those treatment alternatives that appear as the most feasible;
- tailoring the selected treatment technologies to the characteristics of biocomposites and testing them at laboratory scale; and
- demonstrating their technical feasibility and life-cycle sustainability under pre-industrial scale.
Different EoL approaches will be evaluated, including mechanical, thermal, chemical and biological methods for waste recovery and recycling. A comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the EoL methods in terms of cost and environmental sustainability will be conducted.
ELIOT will set the basis for a wider uptake of biocomposite materials in the aircraft industry (and other industrial sectors using composite materials) by providing cost-effective methods for their EoL treatment. Main technical objective to be achieved by the consortium in this project is the full-scale demonstration of the most promising EoL methods for biocomposite waste. Full-scale demonstration will be provided for at least 2 EoL methods for 2 target biocomposites, respectively, including their technical validation at pre-industrial scale and their validation in terms ng, flooring and sidewall panels in cabin interiors) leads to net environmental benefits and cost savings throughout their whole life cycle; i.e., not only during production and use of the materials but also by means of sustainable EoL alternatives suitable to close the loop of biomaterials.