ReCLAIM: Recovery of polymers Containing Legacy Additives in MEP

"The move to a circular economy is vital for the development of industry and the protection of the environment. One material constantly in the spotlight is plastics. Plastic is a highly engineered, indispensable material used over a wide range of applications. One of the strengths of thermoplastics is the potential ability to recycle the same material many times and make use of it in a circular economy.

However, there is still a significant volume of plastic that is not recycled currently, and is destined for landfill or incineration. This material is the residual Mixed Engineering Plastics (MEP), which contains a wide range of less-common polymer types and importantly a significant proportion of legacy additives which are a concern when recycling the material.

Within the ReCLAIM project, Axion Recycling, Trojan Services, Crompton Mouldings, and University of Birmingham will address these problems by: developing new processes for greater recovery of polymer fractions from MEP; creating chemical and physical methods for making BFRs biologically unavailable in the recycled polymers and verifying their efficacy; and proving that the polymer is suitable for real end markets.

The results from ReCLAIM will boost competitiveness of the partner organisations by adding to their product lines, increasing revenue, and reducing operating costs. The benefits to the UK will be increased economic activity, new jobs, a reduction in waste incinerated or sent to landfill, and significant CO2 savings."