Start the SUR3D project to develop a biodegradable material with recycled corks, this will serve to give new life to this material. The initiative seeks to promote the recycling of used corks, completing the circularity of the cork and wine sector. The work team is coordinated by the association INNOVATE and has the participation of Advanced Materials Cluster of Cataloniathe company OIMO Bioplasticsthe technology center Eurecat and the research center Catalan Institute of Cork Foundation.
In Catalonia, the cork industry plays a prominent role at an international level. The cork oak forests occupy some 124,000 hectares in Catalonia, between pure and mixed masses. They are mainly located in the north of Catalonia, in the Albera massif, the Gavarres, the Guilleries, Montseny and Montnegre-Corredor, while the industry is mainly concentrated in the Girona and in the Baix Empordà. In terms of production, our house produces a few each year 2,000 million of corks that end up in all corners of the world. Around 50% of the production of corks (for still wines and for sparkling wines) is destined for export, mainly to France, Italy, the United States and Germany.
SUR3D is a project approved by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MINCOTUR) in the last call forInnovative Business Groups (AEI) of the month of July. The initiative was finally approved on November 23.
The initiative has a budget of 173.458 euros and will be developed untilApril 2023. The grant awarded by MINCOTUR is 125.266 euros. The main objective of this collaborative work is to use corks to obtain a new composite with a biodegradable polymer suitable for additive manufacturing with extrusion technologies.
In this way, it is intended to promote the recycling of corks in the framework of strategies d‘circular economy. With the generation of this new material, it is also sought to promote the substitution of plastic products of fossil origin in favor of bioplasticsrenewable origin.
SUR3D opens up the possibility of introducing used corks into the market as a new material with added value. Therefore, the project will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the cork and wine sector, given that a residue has been identified and work is being done to turn it into a new product.
The initiative will consist of characterizing and preparing both the corks used and the polymeric matrix biodegradable so that both are suitable for the manufacture of the new materials.
Tests will be done during the project of printability with the resulting new materials with which they will also be manufactured test tubes. The project aims to establish the foundations for the future development of certain applications, as well as the construction of prototypes and demonstrators of tools, objects, structures or other elements for the wine sector and other sectors with high added value.
Functions and roles of the participants
The project is coordinated by INNOVI, an association registered as Agrupació d’Empreses Innovadores that was created in February 2009 and has 70 organizations chain wine value and auxiliary sectors. INNOVI will be in charge of managing the relationship between the different partners and overseeing the whole process, as well as disseminating the results so that the rest of the agents in the wine sector can benefit from them.
The Eurecat technology center, specialized in applied R&D and technological services in the digital, industrial, biotechnology and sustainability areaswill deal with determining the specifications of the materials, developing the compost for additive manufacturing, to determine the printability of the new material and to manufacture the test tubes.
OIMO is a startup fromecodesign and new materials whose mission is to provide industry with the tools it needs to be more sustainable. The company aims to reduce 12 million tons of plastic that would end up in the ocean every year. In this project, OIMO will develop a new bioplastic formulation suitable for a 3D printing with a base of cork fibers obtained from corks collected after consumption.
The Institut Català del Suro is a foundation non-profit and of a scientific nature whose mission is the valorization of the cork sector. As the main research center working with the cork industry, ICSuro will be responsible for ensuring the quality of the different cork materials to be used.
The Clúster de Materials Avançats de Catalunya is a technological base cluster based on a innovation strategy and R&D with industrial applicability for obtaining materials of high added value, as well as for implementation in manufacturing and transformation processes. The MAV Cluster has taken responsibility for the creation of synergies among the partners who have given rise to this proposal. During the development of the project, it will support the management, coordination and dissemination.