Circular economy and sustainability
ENHANCED, SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE COATINGS TO SUPPORT THE PLANET
PROPLANET
Motivation
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are compounds widely used in various products and applications. This includes, for example, oil- and water-repellent coatings for textiles, non-stick coatings for packaging and packaging machinery, anti-soiling and anti-reflective coatings for glass, cosmetics, and construction materials.
However, these so-called “forever chemicals” —due to their persistence— pose a serious threat to human health because they do not break down under normal conditions, leading to their accumulation in the environment. Eventually, through the consumption of contaminated water and food, they make their way into humans and other organisms.
Due to their harmful effects on health, PFAS will soon be either banned or heavily restricted in terms of their production and use across the thousands of fluorinated compounds they include, despite the fact that in many cases, no viable technical alternatives have yet been found to replace them.
Objectives
The main objective of PROPLANET is to develop new materials and coating compounds, from a circular and sustainable perspective, with the aim of replacing the current fluorine-based coatings containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). For this purpose, the consortium intends to design and optimize 3 types of innovative coatings for different industrial sectors:
- Textiles
- Food industry, on packaging machinery components
- Glass and solar panels
For textiles, the development of water- and oil-repellent coatings is planned, based on polysaccharide matrices containing crosslinked biopolymer microcapsules. For non-stick, anti-corrosion, and wear-resistant coatings for packaging machinery components, the chemistry will be based on bio-based hybrid siloxanes. And for glass coatings, the development of hybrid siloxanes is planned, which will provide anti-soiling properties and protection against radiation reflection.
Expected results
To achieve this main objective, PROPLANET not only relies on the purely chemical development of new coatings and on different application techniques, but also takes into account various concepts related to environmental/social impacts, scientific-technological aspects, and market considerations, in such a way that it will allow the achievement of the following main results:
-
Develop the scaling-up of the coatings, validating their high technical performance through Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) methodologies, enabling the effective substitution of current PFAS types.
-
Use advanced mathematical calculation tools such as those based on first principles models, in-silico computing models, fate models, and environmental impact assessment, including replication studies, in order to obtain the new coatings always under the SSbD approach.
-
Promote and foster knowledge about the new sustainable and high-performance coatings in new markets.
Grant number: Grant Agreement 101091842
Programme: HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILENCE-01
Period of execution: enero 2023 – diciembre 2025
Status: In progress
Entity: European Union
Website: www.proplanet-project.eu
Funded by the European Union under the GA no 101091842. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
CONTACT US
Do you want to contact us? Click on the button and write to us.
R&D AREAS
New high-performance functionalised materials
Circular economy and sustainability
Advanced manufacturing, smart textiles and digitalisation
High value-added solutions for strategic markets
RELATED PROJECTS
NEWS
AITEX is present at the Babykid FIMI fair at Feria Valencia from January 26 to 28, presenting tests and certifications for children’s products.
AITEX has attended the Cosmetorium fair in Barcelona once again on October to present its new products for the cosmetic sector.
AITEX has hosted the LIFE POLITEX workshop entitled “Closing the textile polyester cycle: challenges and opportunities”, based on promoting sustainable solutions for the management and recycling of textile materials.