Extrusion Asia Edition 2-2019

27 Extrusion Asia Edition 2/2019 cupies the Chair of Flavor and Smell Research at the Friedrich- Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy. Miriam Strangl is currently studying for her doctorate there and is involved with the characteriza- tion of odors and contaminants in recycled materials. "Our work goes far beyond the development of new processes and the removal of odorants. Odor is often an indicator of other un- desired substances in the recycled material", says Strangl who was highly involved in the conception of the C-PlaNeT project. Prof. Büttner goes on to explain "the focus in recycling must not solely be on recovering valuable materials but must increa- singly be on removing contaminants. Our task is also to identi- fy hitherto undetected substances. Only then can we design re- cycling processes for their removal. I am endeavoring to ad- vance knowledge in this area in close cooperation with research organizations and involving various disciplines and to also train young talent for the required interdisciplinary team collabora- tion". "The modern world we live in is complex and so are the products we use and the waste we produce. Knowledge about molecules and materials is a must to enable us to guarantee the manufacture of high-quality recyclates. It will allow the optimi- zation of the decontamination efficiency of the various process steps." Solvent-based processes – the key for decontamination in the recycling The solvent-based CreaSolv ® process already developed by the Fraunhofer IVV enables effective separation of plastic composit- es and contaminated household waste. The technology is suit- Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV Giggenhauser Str. 35, 85354 Freising, Germany www.ivv.fraunhofer.de able for recovering high-purity polymers that have the same quality as virgin polymers. According to Dr. Martin Schlummer, the lead Fraunhofer IVV scientist in the C-PlaNeT consortium: "The challenge is now to adapt the technology for other appli- cations, for example for waste plastic found in the oceans." Detection of chemical contaminants as a further challenge In order for recyclates produced from plastic packaging waste to be used as a secondary raw material for high-quality con- sumer products, it must be ensured that the materials are free of contaminants. There is hence much interest in developing suitable in-process sensors to detect contaminants. Chemical diagnostics in recycling is however still underrepresented. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer IIS as a non-university part- ner, the consortium also wants to therefore identify possible means for chemical detection. The Fraunhofer IVV, Fraunhofer IIS, and the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg are not only project partners but also partners in the Campus of the Senses initiative (www.campus-der-sinne.fraunhofer.de ) and are in an excellent position to detect odorants and tackle these complex challenges.