Circular design aims to extend the life cycle of materials and products, thereby minimizing waste and reducing the need for new resources. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.
The circularity of bio-based biodegradable polymers and products is a new, dynamic, and rapidly evolving field. The current market and technology for bio-based biodegradable polymers and products are still evolving, with ongoing research focused more on production and degradation, rather than circularity.
MAGICBIOMAT takes a more holistic approach to biobased and biodegradable plastics by incorporating the circularity principles of reuse, remanufacturing and recycling in their design and development.
“Reuse” refers to the practice of extending the life cycle of items through repeated use, rather than disposing of them after a single use. “Remanufacture” refers to the process of restoring used or worn products to a like-new condition through disassembly, cleaning, repairing, replacing parts, and reassembly. Bio-based biodegradable polymers and products are designed to degrade over time, so they are not typically reused or remanufactured in the same way as conventional plastic polymers and products. MAGICBIOMAT aims to engineer durable, bio-based biodegradable materials suitable for reuse and remanufacturing processes. To demonstrate this, refillable bottles for domestic laundry washing liquid will be produced using the developed biobased biodegradable polymer composites. The reusability of the bottles will be assessed by evaluating whether they maintain their intended properties after each refilling cycle. The aim is to ensure that the bottles can be refilled at least 5-6 times before they reach their end of use. Additionally, durable biodegradable acrylic coatings will be developed for single-use paper-based packaging trays to prolong their usable life. Furthermore, the project will turn the biodegradable mulching film it will produce into liners for rubbish bins. As rubbish bin liners typically end up in landfills, they are an ideal application for using biodegradable plastics, especially if these made from used agricultural mulch.
“Recycling” refers to the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste and turning them into new products. The current recycling value chain for bio-based biodegradable polymers is hindered by challenges such as the need for specialized recycling processes, lack of sorting and collection systems, economic viability issues, technical recycling difficulties, regulatory limitations, and insufficient consumer awareness and market demand for recycled materials. MAGICBIOMAT is committed to an ambitious goal of separating and recovering multicomponent materials, and mechanically recycling the developed biobased biodegradable polymers.
Multicomponent materials, often used in the packaging, automotive, construction, and aerospace industries, are engineered to combine the advantageous properties of different materials into a single composite structure. These materials are designed to meet specific performance requirements that single-layer materials cannot achieve, highlighting their importance in various applications. However, their complex structure also presents significant challenges for recycling. Multicomponent materials are usually sorted as mixed waste in post-consumer streams and frequently disposed of in landfills or incinerated with energy recovery in European countries.
MAGICBIOMAT aims to develop novel solvent-borne and waterborne acrylic adhesives, which enable the effective separation of multiple materials for high quality single material recycling. Circular design in bio-based biodegradable polymers and products seeks to integrate sustainability from the very beginning of material development, rethinking how products are made, used, and recovered. By embedding principles of reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling into material design, MAGICBIOMAT moves beyond conventional biodegradability to create truly circular bioplastics. This approach not only reduces environmental impact but also contributes to a more resource-efficient and resilient materials economy.
