21. 5. 2024
National Competence Centre – Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century: Year 1
On 21–22 May 2024, the partners of the National Competence Centre – Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century (PolyEnvi21) met to present and discuss the interim outputs of the sub-projects. Coordinated by the Tomas Bata University in Zlín (TBU), the Centre aims to empower the cooperation between academia and industry and thus accelerate the development and application of new environmentally friendly polymer materials and technologies.
The sub-topics currently being addressed within PolyEnvi21 cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to the implementation of circular economy principles in the plastics industry. Specifically, we are working on projects aimed at improving the efficiency of automated sorting of plastic waste for subsequent mechanical, chemical and biological recycling. In addition, technologies are being developed in collaboration with industrial partners to maximise the meaningful use of waste that would normally end up at a landfill or incineration site. Related to this is the technology for removing unwanted substances that complicate the recycling process. Furthermore, new material systems are being developed to enable, for example, the production of components for the automotive industry that will not produce emissions of hazardous pollutants into the air, the production of materials based on renewable raw materials or the development of products for more efficient management of agrochemicals.
“The Centre focuses on several key areas, particularly research and development of advanced polymer materials, sustainability and environmental issues. However, the PolyEnvi21 project also focuses on the education of a new generation of scientists and technicians and the mutual exchange of knowledge between academia and industry,” said Ing. Ivan Souček, Ph.D., Director of the Association of the Chemical Industry of the Czech Republic.
The presentation of the interim results showed the promising potential of all sub-projects to achieve the set objectives. Their applicability in practice is supported by direct cooperation with industrial partners. “The transfer of research activities into the field is one of our priorities. The project of the National Competence Centre, which is supported by the Czech Technology Agency, is one of the very effective incentive tools for effective industrial research and experimental development. The Centre’s consortium is not a closed community and we are looking for other partners from the application sphere for further cooperation,” says prof. Vladimír Sedlařík, the chief manager of the Centre.
The National Competence Centre – Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century (PolyEnvi21) focuses on the development of new polymer systems that take into account the goals of sustainable development, practical applicability and economic competitiveness.
PolyEnvi21’s core competency is the mechanical, chemical and biological recycling of polymeric materials, including related processes. Significant attention is paid to the complex concept of the solutions being developed to fulfil circular economy principles.
The Centre of Polymer Systems (CPS) at Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín is the project chief investigator.
The project partners are as follows: ASIO TECH, spol. s r. o., Centrum organické chemie s.r.o., Ethanol Energy, a.s., Fortemix produkce s.r.o., HELLA AUTOTECHNIK NOVA, s.r.o., I N O T E X spol. s r. o., Moravskoslezský automobilový klastr, z.s. (Moravian-Silesian Automotive Cluster), NANOPROGRESS, z.s., ORLEN UniCRE, a.s., Plastikářský klastr z.s. (Plastics Industry Cluster), Simple Engineering, s.r.o., Svaz chemického průmyslu ČR, z.s. (Chemical Industry Union), SYNPO, a.s., TERAMED, s.r.o., Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Palacký University in Olomouc, University of Pardubice, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, VSB – Technical University in Ostrava, University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Brno University of Technology, ZODPA, s.r.o.
The National Competence Centre – Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century project is co-funded by theTechnology Agency of the Czech Republic(project ID: TN02000051).
