Photos: Joachim Kohler-HB (CC BY-SA 4.0) | Fotolia | iStock | Forschungszentrum Jülich
Plastic is a material with many special properties such as waterproofness, high stability and durability. However, these properties are also the reason why there is a plastic waste problem. Large quantities of plastic are made for single use and are rarely and often inefficiently recycled. Instead, plastic waste is mostly buried in large landfills or incinerated. Biodegradable plastic is still rather an exception - mostly due to the function of the material to be fulfilled - and often requires specific conditions for complete degradation. And additionally, the production of plastic, which is still largely based on fossil sources, is linked to climate-change processes.
How can plastic nevertheless become an important part of a sustainable, bio-based circular economy? This requires a multidisciplinary approach that takes all processes into account: The biobased production of known and new plastics, the development of clean and efficient chemical and biobased processes to degrade plastics, and the return of all components of plastic to the circular economy.
In the international BioSC Summer School "Plastic and sustainable Bioeconomy. How does that fit?" you will learn about approaches to produce new plastics (e.g. Polylactide) from bio-based feedstocks. You will learn what chemical and bio-based approaches exist to degrade fossil-based plastics (such as PET) and make them available again for new manufacturing processes and where the limits and challenges lie. You will learn what it takes to do a Life Cycle Assessment, taking into account logistics, supply chain management and resource management. And you will have the opportunity to work on case studies in small groups.
MORNING
Welcome and introduction to the Summer School concept
Social gathering of the participants and formation of small working groups for the Summer School projects
Ingar Janzik, BioSC Office, DE
General introduction to plastic/bioplastic and the great challenges and chances
Nick Wierckx, Forschungszentrum Jülich/BioSC, DE
Lars Blank, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, DE
AFTERNOON
New biobased polymers
Nick Wierckx, Forschungszentrum Jülich/BioSC, DE
Stephan Noack, Forschungszentrum Jülich/BioSC, DE
Harald Ruijssenaars, Corbion,NL
MORNING
Case study on challenges to synthesize and use new monomers: Itaconic acid/Ustilago maydis
Nick Wierckx, Forschungszentrum Jülich/BioSC, DE
Stephan Noack, Forschungszentrum Jülich/BioSC, DE
Andreas Jupke, RWTH Aachen, Forschungszentrum Jülich/BioSC, DE (requested)
AFTERNOON
Chemical catalysts and their role in polymerization and depolymerization processes of (bio)plastic
- including lab visit -
Sonja Herres-Pawlis and colleagues, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, DE
MORNING
Lab day: Hands-on experiments on microbes/microbial enzymes for plastic degradation - Part I
Lars Blank and colleagues, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, D
AFTERNOON
Lab techniques to label, identify and sort microplastic and to improve proteins für bioplastic degradation
- including demonstrations and lab visits -
Ulrich Schwaneberg and colleagues, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, DE
Lab day: Hands-on experiments on microbes/microbial enzymes for plastic degradation - Part II
Lars Blank and colleagues, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, DE
MORNING
The fate of degradable and non-degradable plastics: Pollution, waste, combustion, composting, recycling
Jürgen Pettrak, FH Aachen, DE
Kevin Carl, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, DE
- more speakers requested -
AFTERNOON
Life Cycle Assessment: Logistics, supply chains, resource management
- including LCA software tutorial -
Grit Walther and colleagues, RWTH Aachen/BioSC, DE
MORNING
Presentation of the Summer School project results by the working groups
Summer School participants
Summary and closing remarks
Ingar Janzik, BioSC Office, DE
The Summer School addresses mainly PhD-students and advanced Master students and is limited to 20 participants. The approval is done on the basis of the motivation letter and the background of the applicants.
Participation is free of charge and includes accommodation and breakfast/lunch/dinner. The accommodation is centrally organized by the BioSC office. In individual cases support for travel expenses may be granted; please contact the BioSC office.
Application is closed.
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