Aimplas takes stock of its lines of research in 2023 to strengthen R&D&I in the plastics sector

Thanks to grants from the Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial (Ivace) with funds from the Generalitat Valenciana, Aimplas, Instituto Tecnológico del Plástico, has boosted independent R&D activities during 2023 to continue leading, promoting and strengthening business R&D&I and knowledge transfer in the plastics sector. Thus, the technology centre has made progress in its nine lines of research: Sustainable agriculture and forestry, Climate change and decarbonisation of the economy, Sustainable and future mobility, Food safety, Circular economy, Health, Chemical technology, Characterisation of materials and Industry 4.0; and has developed the first phase of its Plastics Living Lab.

In the line of sustainable agriculture and forestry, these grants have enabled Aimplas to promote more sustainable plasticulture and aquaculture products, for example, films for roofing with wavelength control, to develop new biopolymers from by-products of plant, terrestrial and aquatic biomass, for example, starches and algae, or to recover different products with a high fibre content, such as stubble, to obtain wood-like and cardboard-like plastic materials. In addition, active ingredients have been incorporated into these products to give them phytosanitary properties, biostimulants or fertilisers, thus reducing the use of chemical inputs. Finally, work is also being done on new technologies for coating biopolymeric materials on fertilisers so that when they reach the soil, the quality of the crop soils is maintained.

For its part, in the Climate Change line, Aimplas has worked in two areas. On the one hand, in the decarbonisation of the economy, through the design of new CO2 and other pollutant gas adsorption equipment, systems for photodegradation of pollutants in water, and ammonia hydrogenation reactions for future hydrogen production. On the other hand, research in this line is also aimed at promoting sustainable construction, through new processes and reformulations of PVC using recycled material and more sustainable additives and fillers than those currently used on the market, with the study of new construction systems, using polymeric, thermoplastic and composite materials, with coatings for buildings to reduce energy demand, and with a legislative review of the new trends in the harmonisation of construction products.