CIDETEC Surface Engineering participates in the European BioPhenom project to develop safe and sustainable materials

The new bio-based materials will replace the current SVHCs that pose a high risk to human health and the environment.

The BioPhenom project, in which CIDETEC Surface Engineering participates, aims to offer a solution to the widespread use of hazardous petrochemicals, many of which are high-risk substances (SVHC) due to their harmful effects on the environment and health human. Current industrial practices use SVHC to formulate and improve the functionality of thermoplastic and thermostable materials and wood, which are toxic and non-biodegradable, making it necessary to find safer and more sustainable alternatives for these products urgently.

In this regard, the European Green Pact and its zero pollution target has established the introduction of bio-based, safe and sustainable solutions by design, which can accelerate the transition to a circular economy and reduce waste. The BioPhenom project, using advanced technologies and processes (such as fast pyrolysis and liquid extraction), seeks to explore the isolation of biophenols from secondary streams of industrial biomass to produce bio-flame retardants (bio-IFRs) and therefore replace SVHC with safe, sustainable and recyclable materials. This will make it possible to have wood products, thermostable carbon fibre composites and thermoplastic composite materials for different applications without using harmful products in their manufacture.

The BioPhenom project, which will run for four years with a budget of 3.6 million euros, brings together a dynamic consortium of 12 partners, including 5 RTOs (VTT, NIBIO, LIST, CIDETEC, CNR), 1 university (UoB) and 6 SMEs (NT, INVENT, SP, EwC, CRCF, TALOS) from 10 different countries across Europe.