We have been notified by the European Commission that our MELINDA proposal has been approved for funding with a score of 13.5/15.0. The project is titled: Multifunctional biophenols for safe and recyclable materials.
The project will be financed by the Horizon Europe program, has a total duration of 48 months and has a total budget of €3,987,214.75.
 

Εκτός από την εταιρεία μας RTD Talos, μετέχουν οι ακόλουθοι φορείς:

1. RTD Talos

2. TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT Φινλανδία

3 LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Λουξεμβούργο

4 NIBIO – NORSK INSTITUTT FOR BIOOKONOMI Νορβηγία

5 FUNDACION CIDETEC Ισπανία

6 CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE Ιταλία

7 THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Η.Β.

8 SPECIFIC POLYMERS Γαλλία

9 INVENT INNOVATIVE VERBUNDWERKSTOFFEREALISATION UND VERMARKTUNG NEUERTECHNOLOGIEN GMBH Γερμανία

10 Nordtreat Finland Oy Φινλανδία

11 CENTRO RICERCHE PER LA CHIMICA FINE SRL Ιταλία

12 EDELWEISS CONNECT GMBH Ελβετία

 

The MELINDA project:

The MELINDA project will scope and select industrial biomass sidestreams for isolation of biophenols by proven technologies, functionalize the isolated biophenols into intumescent flame retardants (bio-IFRs), and exploit the bio-IFRs as multifunctional components for replacement of harmful chemicals commonly used in formulation and functionality improvement of wood, thermosets, and thermoplastic materials. Impregnation of wood with bio-IFRs will enhance fire resistance and durability for outdoor applications, while a bio-based topcoat will prevent leaching of impregnants and extend service life. The bio-IFRs will be used to produce bio-carbon fibres and bio-epoxy resins formulated with a novel dynamic hardener that allows resin disintegration, thus producing fire resistant and recyclable thermoset biocomposites. The bio-IFRs will also be added to thermoplastic polylactic acid (PLA)-biochar composites to enhance fire resistance. The most promising applications of the materials developed will be scoped within relevant industrial sectors (e.g., building, transportation, automotive), and their functionality and circularity validated against existing benchmarks. Circularity will be demonstrated by recycling the treated wood into particleboards, recovering the thermoset components for reuse, and reformulating the PLA-based thermoplastics into new biocomposites. Process and material developments in MELINDA will be guided by Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles that will be updated with recommendations on identification of data gaps and priorities for data collection.

The project data, methodologies, and results will be made FAIR. Ultimately, the outcomes of Melinda will enable replacement of harmful substances in material formulations and circularity of end-products, and will increase the portfolio of safe, recyclable, and sustainable bio-based solutions with potential for market uptake, benefiting industry, consumers, and society in Europe.