European ReBioCycle project aims to develop circular solutions for bioplastics

Today, there is a bio-based alternative to many polymers produced using fossil raw materials. However, the group of materials known as bioplastics is diverse. So-called drop-in solutions have the same chemical structure as their mineral oil-based counterparts – and are just as recyclable. Other bioplastics are characterised by new chemical structures. These include polylactic acid (PLA), starch-based compounds and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), for example. To date, plant operators have shown little interest in setting up their own sorting and recycling system for these bioplastics, as the throughput is not large enough for recycling to be worthwhile. So they usually end up in landfill sites or are incinerated.

A new EU-funded project is now looking at how these bioplastics can be recycled mechanically, chemically and biologically. ReBioCycle aims to show that bio-based, biodegradable plastics can also be kept in circulation for as long as possible using innovative recycling technologies. The new project was launched at the beginning of October. Headed by the University of Dublin, Ireland, a consortium of European partners aims to prove that the biodegradable plastics made from the renewable raw materials polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and starch-based blends can be efficiently recycled on a large scale.

The ReBioCycle project comprises three centres focusing on waste processing in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The European Bioplastics industry association and its members, including TotalEnergies Corbion, AIMPLAS, Novamont, Corbion, Sulapac and Kaneka, are among the 20 partners who have joined forces under the leadership of University College Dublin and of Science Foundation Ireland’s research centre BiOrbic Bioeconomy to develop and implement a new European concept for circular bioplastics solutions.

“The recycling technologies currently available for biodegradable plastics are limited, but with this project, we will make them widely available”, says Jan Pels, CTO and Managing Director of Torwash, one of the Dutch project partners. “Then no one will be able to claim that the switch to biodegradable plastics is impossible because they cannot be recycled.”

ReBioCycle wants to adapt and improve the sorting technologies for the three types of bioplastics mentioned above. In addition, it intends to propose a portfolio of recycling technologies for bioplastics. The project plans to use data streams to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technologies, their economic viability and their potential integration on an industrially relevant scale. The aim of the project is to show that biodegradable plastics are fully recyclable and upcyclable.

Professor Kevin O’Connor, coordinator of the project, expects ReBioCycle to expand the recycling technologies for bio-based, biodegradable plastics and keep them in the cycle of materials for as long as possible. “We want to show that bio-based, biodegradable plastics can be used in the circular economy at the end of their life cycle.”

The project partners in the ReBioCycle centres will also check the specifications of biopolymer brand owners and analyse the quality of the recycled material of durable and reusable packaging. The long-term aim is to issue a position paper on the state of the art of bioplastics recycling which will also contribute to the various European action plans and strategies, such as the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of project partner European Bioplastics, explains: “We strongly believe that an actionable EU bioeconomic strategy should be a top priority to ensure the strength of our European industry. This can only be made possible with the close co-operation of all stakeholders, more political support and technological advances. The project is an excellent example of this collaboration and will significantly advance the recycling of bioplastics.”

The ReBioCycle project is funded in the amount of 7.5 million euros by the Circular Bio-based Joint Undertaking, a partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), as part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and will run until September 2028.