Spanish Plastics Technology Centre Aimplas is involved in a new project, this time to find new ways to valorise biodegradable plastic waste.
As part of a project called Valplast and together with the University of Valencia, the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and plastic recycler Fych Technologies, the Aimplas team will study how different bioplastics degrade when treated with sludge from an urban wastewater treatment plant under anaerobic conditions, both at laboratory and pilot scale. The goal is to obtain biogas, a renewable energy source, for use in the energy or agriculture sectors.
"The main innovation of the project is to conceive bioplastics as a resource that can be valorised and transformed into green energy," researchers involved in the project said.
The consortium will also evaluate the effects of using additives in the synthesis of fossil-based and bio-based plastics, both in the anaerobic treatment process and in the subsequent quality of the digested sludge, since its main application is agricultural use.
The team will also analyse how best to develop and optimise the instrumentation and control system of the pilot plant, as well as calculate the cost and environmental performance of the site.
Aimplas will also use its experiences from previous projects, including Microplast and Prevenplast, to analyse whether microplastics are present in either the wastewater or in the sludge generated in the wastewater treatment plants.
The Valplast project is funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE) and will last for 28 months.