Consortium
AITIIP is a Spanish private non-profit innovation center which is involved in the complete whole chain of the production, from the development of the material to the final product. The technical office at AITIIP is composed by a design engineering team, with long experience in industrial processes and the R+D department has three strong research lines: composites and nanomaterials, manufacturing processes (in collaboration with design engineering) and product development. In cooperation between departments, AITIIP´s team pursues the improvement of composites technologies and adaptation of novel material to manufacturing processes.
Project role: AITIIP is the coordinator of the project and will be responsible of assisting other partners in the development of their activities. AITIIP will also be involved in defining composite requirements, preparing composites based in modified resins, manufacturing parts from modified resins and will also help industrial partners in defining appropriate business plans and exploitation strategies to ensure the proper market uptake of the solution. Aitiip is also the dissemination and communication leader of the project.
EvoEnzyme is a spin-off from the Institute of Catalysis (ICP, CSIC) which focuses its activities on the development and commercialization of ligninolytic enzymes engineered by directed evolution for different industrial applications. Besides and within the frame of circular economy and sustainability, the company develops ad-hoc directed evolution projects to adapt enzymes´ customer to its specific industrial needs. In the long term, EvoEnzyme offers environmentally friendly solutions (“green” biocatalysts) for the pharma, chemical, food and environmental sectors.
Project Role: Within the Bizente Project, EvoEnzyme is leading the workpackage of enzyme engineering, which aims at exploring and applying evolved enzymes for the degradation of different families of thermoset composites .
Delft University of Technology (TUD) is the oldest and largest Dutch public technological university. It is consistently ranked as the best university in the Netherlands. As of 2020, it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among the top 15 engineering and technology universities in the world. With eight faculties and numerous research institutes, it has more than 19,000 students (undergraduate and postgraduate) and employs more than 2,900 scientists and 2,100 support and management staff. The Biocatalysis group (BOC) in the Department of Biotechnology has a long-standing history in the application of biocatalysts for organic synthesis. Our Leitmotif is to generate environmentally more acceptable chemical conversion technologies exploiting the generally benign reaction conditions of biocatalysis.
Project role: TUD will, in close collaboration with the other members of the consortium, investigate the degradability of polymer structural elements. Using low-molecular weight analogues, TUD will test the biocatalysts available for their reactivity with these model compounds, identify the reaction products and will elucidate the catalytic mechanisms.
European Composite Recycling Technology is a Danish company representing an innovative part of the creative chain from inception through to recycling concerning the use of composite materials – moving the final stage from the „grave“ such as landfill or incineration to a new „cradle“. This is achieved through components and parts delivering highest technological requirements manufactured through new production processes.
Project role: ECRT is involved in defining composite requirements, preparing and developing recycling and recycling processes and methods. ECR Technology will participate in developing the pilot work together with the rest of the partners. ECRT is working on defining appropriate business plans and exploitation strategies to ensure the proper market uptake of the solutions developed in the project.
Specific Polymers with over 17 years of experience, Specific Polymers is a French SME with 21 employees acting as R&D services’ provider in the field of functional monomers, polymers, coatings, and materials with enhanced performances. The company was created to meet the need of international stakeholders by filling the gap between academic and industrial research. For many years, major industrial groups and academic laboratories worldwide have relied on our technical skills to validate their proof-of-concepts. Our mission is to support our clients from the identification of their needs to the industrialization of the most promising solution.
Project role: Specific Polymers is responsible of the chemical modification of resins to ease their enzymatic degradation while maintaining their other specifications. Specific Polymers will develop new tailor made thermoset resins (vinyl ester, unsaturated polyester, epoxy) that will be specifically custom designed to ease the enzymatic degradation process while maintaining the other specifications at the same level. Development will be based on an in-depth chemical understanding of reference commercial resins and their modifications to impart both reversible bonds and biodegradable moieties.
BIOSPHERE is an Italian SME active in the field of industrial biotechnology, with a focus on the development and scale-up of fermentation processes for the production of enzymes and other molecules of industrial interest.
Biosphere is a CDMO, offering R&D and manufacturing services for the development of biotechnological processes, from laboratory to pilot and pre-industrial scale, and for the production of microbial biomass, enzymes and other metabolites, by fermentation of bacteria, yeasts and fungi. The company’s own research and innovation activities are focused on the development of new processes, based on fermentation and anaerobic digestion, for the valorization and re-use of by-products of the agro-food industry and the production of renewable energy and bio-based molecules and materials.
Project role: Biosphere is Partner of the Bizente project with a role in the scale-up of fermentation processes for the production of customized enzymes for plastic degradation and in the development and scale-up of the enzymatic degradation of different composite materials. The output of the work will be the definition of the processes at TRL 4-5 and the delivery to the other partners of samples of the degradation products for characterization and investigation of valorization routes. Data will also be produced for LCA analysis and for the definition of business plans and exploitation strategies.
The University of Cadiz (UCA) is the public university of the province of Cadiz, in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. The university is specialised in the disciplines of marine sciences, nautical sciences, and naval engineering. The UCA research team that participates in the project has experience in the field of Environmental Toxicology (toxicity tests with herbicides, insecticides, pharmaceutics, microplastic… in marine organisms, dose-response relationship, etc.), detecting the toxic effects and also has expertise in the field of Environmental Quality and Technologies.
Project role: UCA will establish corrective measures that minimize the environmental impact of the process, focusing on the inputs and effluents. The sustainability of the enzymatic degradation process will be evaluated. The monomers produced in the biodegradation process will also be identified and determined the toxicity of the products obtained.
Teruel International Airport is an industrial-aeronautical HUB, located on the EUROPEAN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY, and it is recognized as the aeronautical platform of Teruel, PLATA.
PLATA is a public entity owned by a Consortium formed by the Government of Aragon (60%) and Teruel City Council (40%). It is designed to be an open platform in a strategic location where aeronautical companies around the world could base their operations in a very competitive condition.
PLATA is an appropriate Aero-Industrial site, offering to the companies the most favourable opportunities for locating and expanding their aeronautical and aerospace business.
In addition, PLATA is well known for its leadership and expertise in maintenance, MRO, parking and recycling for aircraft and helicopters. PLATA is also endeavouring new business for executive and general aviation, UAV-RPA research & developments, and other aerospace activities.
Project role: The main role in the project is the exploitation in the aeronautical area. Teruel’s Airport is an industrial airport which takes part in the business case studies. Taking into account the recycling activity carried out at the airport, it can play a supportive role to demonstrate the potential for integrating the developed concepts and technologies into current industrial landscapes so they can be deployed quicker and scaled up to apply industry-wide.
ACCIONA is a large construction company specialized in construction, engineering and concessions (transport and hospitals). It has an international presence in more than 30 countries employing more than 11,220 people. It is part of ACCIONA Group, whose business lines are Construction, Energy, Water, Real State, Urban-Environmental Services, Logistic and Transport. It is actively involved in far-reaching R&D and Innovation aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its activities and taking care of the surroundings wherever it operates. ACCIONA uses cutting-edge technology to develop and apply the most advanced materials, components, systems and solutions for sustainability and in particular for energy efficient concepts, design, construction and operation.
Project Role: ACCIONA will study the validation of the obtained products after biodegradation by chemical modification to turn them into useful resins for developing composites in construction applications.
Aernnova was founded in April 2006, it can be considered as a global Aerostructure Company that offers a complete range of products and services. Currently Aernnova is stated as TIER1 of the Aeronautic supply change. Their main business lines are: Integral management of complete aerostructures: conceptual design, testing, certification, prototypes, and in-services technical support; Engineering expertise in specialized in research and development of component design; Fabrication of composite components; Fabrication of metallic components.
Project Role: During BIZENTE project, Aernnova will be involved in the characterization, specifications, and pre-treatment protocols of the selected resins. In addition, Aernnova will lead the valorisation strategies for modified resins and products obtained from the enzymatic degradation as well as defining the valorisation and degradation products and by-products for the LCA.