Is it possible to produce plastics for landscaping from bio-based polymers? Can products be manufactured without environmental problems and with controlled degradation? Fraunhofer CCPE is precisely addressing these questions, which are important for a wide range of commercial products, in its new research focus ‘Sustainable geosynthetics for landscaping’.

From June 10 to 14, 2024, our specialists will use our exhibit at ACHEMA 2024 to show how innovative and sustainable materials can be designed for use in complex environments. Geosynthetics are already being produced for various applications based on renewable raw materials, both biopolymers and natural fibres, for example. The aim here is to fulfil challenging requirements not only initially, but also over a predefined period of use, while at the same time being completely biodegradable for many applications. The Fraunhofer CCPE has many years of experience with biopolymers such as polylactide (PLA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS), as well as with all the necessary process steps with a focus on the production of high-quality fibres from PLA and PBS. These are flanked by studies on time-defined degradation in soils and aquatic environments as well as ecotoxicological assessments of the new developments in order to ensure rapid transfer to application.

Fraunhofer CCPE will also be exhibiting ‘Advanced Recycling’ at ACHEMA. It is often a challenge to find the right process for waste that is difficult to recycle. With the CCPE recycling cascade for plastic waste, which consists of a combination of three innovative Fraunhofer technologies, high-quality plastic recyclates with optimised product yields can be produced. This waste includes, for example, mixed packaging waste, shredder residues or composite materials that can no longer be recycled using conventional mechanical processes. The input materials are pre-sorted and then treated using a combination of three innovative recycling technologies: solvent-based process, solvolysis and iCycle® process.