17th January took place a meeting between ULPGC and CENTEXBEL in the facilities of CENTEXBEL, Belgium, following recommendations from EASME project advisers. The objective of this meeting was the networking between the two current LIFE projects focused in wastes: LIFE RECYSITE (Production of fully recyclable and reusable green composites based on bioresins and natural fibres, http://recysite.eu/) and LIFE BAQUA (Solutions through the new use for a waste of banana crop to develop products in aquaculture and plastics sector, http://lifebaqua.eu/index.php/en/).
After the presentation of all attendants, Luc Ruys (CENTXBEL) and Mario Monzón (ULPGC) introduced the different activities, structure and research activities of their groups, focusing on projects related to natural fibre. After this, Mario Monzón and Monika Rymarczyk (CENTXBEL) made a presentation of both LIFE projects: the consortium, the objectives, expected impacts and the different preparatory and implementation actions.
On the one hand, LIFE BAQUA (ULPGC) aims to demonstrate that sustainability and efficiency can be applied to agricultural practices by improving management and reducing waste of a native crop and revalorizing it into a series of new value chains. On the other hand, RECYSITE (CENTXBEL) aims to demonstrate recyclability and reuse of a new generation of high performance fibre-reinforced thermoset composites from renewable resources (biowaste).
ULPGC and CENTEXBELL found common aspects and interest in the research carried out: use of biowaste, use of natural fibre and application to composites. Although the objectives and targets are different, some potential collaboration could take place such as the testing of banana fibre in RECYSITE or testing the developed resin of RECYSITE in BAQUA. Also, exchanging test methods or alternative resins and final products could also be suitable of future link. Both projects are encouraged in participating in common workshops presenting viable options of using biowaste in producing sustainable products into a circular economy and proposing common EU policies in the field of natural fibres, biocomposites and management of biowaste.
In the end, ULPGC staff visited the main facilities of CENTEXBEL, mainly focused on those for technical textile, coating, testing and characterization, for future collaboration.
