ECOPLASTIC is designed to provide a seamless route to resolving pervasive PET plastic pollution, converting it to Eco-plastic prototypes. Conversion of unrecyclable post use PET into new, high performance bioplastics embodies the regenerative zero waste approaches found in nature, where post use materials become the ingredients for new products and with unlimited cyclical use of materials. It proposes a technological paradigm shift in recycling from the current zero to single digit circuits of recycling loops to a regeneration process providing a significant scientific step forward towards true circularity. ECOPLASTIC converts lower grade PET and mixed recalcitrant PET plastic waste into high performing biopolymers, through the development of a suite of breakthrough modular and technologies adaptable to the waste input, to funnel waste PET plastics into Eco-products that enter a perpetually bio-cyclable loop. The new Eco-plastics and products will provide drop in alternatives for seamless adoption within industry and by consumers. We will demonstrate that the resulting processes are economically & environmentally sustainable for valorizing currently non-recyclable materials such as multilayer packages and flexible films. The project will combine several approaches to optimise the material circularity: I. Depolymerization process: Series of mechano-green, chemical and biocatalytic technologies to depolymerize them into their constituent monomers, using novel biological filtration for the preparation of highly fermentable monomer and oligomer feedstock streams II. Biopolymer production using microbiome processing to produce new biopolymers from monomer feedstocks which are then processed into bioproduct prototypes that are not harharmful to the environment III. Advanced processing will be used to advance the properties of recovered biopolymers and demonstration prototypes for applications including packaging will be produced.

NewWave will contribute to building a circular economy by introducing sustainable raw materials in different manufacturing lines, replacing toxic chemicals and lowering the environmental footprint of the products. The raw materials are obtained from thermochemical fractionation of biomass. This process converts biomass residues by fast pyrolysis into Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil (FPBO). Subsequently, the FPBO is fractionated -based on chemical functionality- yielding a reactive lignin fraction and a sugar-rich fraction, both being excellent starting materials to produce sustainable, bio-based chemicals & materials. The selected product lines fully exploit the unique chemical functionalities already present in biomass residues and organic waste streams. Moreover, the lines are interlinked, and output from one line will further improve the sustainability of the other. Waste water treatment and water re-use is integral part of the concept. NewWave aims at wood-based products for the construction industry, including Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) to replace steel and concrete as structural components and modified wood to replace tropical hardwood or chemically treated wood for outdoor use. Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) and plywood will be produced for interior usage. Toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and creosote will be replaced by non-toxic, bio-based alternatives. A small building will be constructed with these materials to demonstrate the products and test durability. The bio-based chemicals can also be used as green solvents, antifreeze & coolant and in the bulk & fine chemical industry. The European market potential is enormous (Billion ?/y range). The GHG emission avoidance ranges from 30% to over 90% depending on replacement ratio and end application. The individual manufacturing lines as well as the integrated value chain will be assessed in detail on technical, economic, social and environmental performance to ensure the production is truly sustainable.