Proplast, located in Alessandria, Italy, is a non-profit technology centre focused on research and innovation in the polymer and composites field. Organised as a cluster, Proplast promotes the competitiveness of industries, especially SMEs, supporting their research activities and fostering innovation and networking actions at national and international level by organising conferences, workshops, round tables and B2B meetings.
Proplast is recognised as the managing body of the regional innovation cluster CGreen – Green Chemistry and Advanced Materials in the Piedmont region and is currently part of the Sistema Poli Piemonte meta-cluster.
Proplast’s specific nature mixes the typical cluster management activities with state-of-the-art technical facilities, with 3500 sqm of highly equipped labs.
The facilities include:
- Pilot lines for the main technologies for polymer production and processing, i.e., extrusion and compounding, injection moulding and thermoforming, fibre reinforced composites production.
- An advanced design lab (CAD/CAM, FEM analysis, structural analysis, and processing simulation), life cycle assessment (LCA) and material characterisation laboratories.
Proplast’s headquarters in Alessandria, Italy.
Experience, specialised skills, a quality-oriented mindset, versatility, and a collaborative approach allow Proplast to be an important player in the plastics world for all activities ꟷ design, research, technical support, and training. Our whole team, more than 40 employees, is committed on a daily basis to achieve goals and share with our customers and our cluster members.
Proplast also has a wide knowledge in the development and characterisation of polymer formulations from recycled plastics coming from urban waste thanks to the fruitful collaboration with Corepla, the Italian consortium for plastics recycling, and with private companies willing to increase their green footprint.
Proplast has been involved in 43 collaborative research projects at European and national level (Piedmont region and national calls), and in 19 collaborative cluster projects at European level (ERASMUS+, Alpine Space, H2020, COSME, Interreg programme).
Role in EOLIAN
Proplast is the coordinator of the EOLIAN project and the leader of Work Package 6: End of Life Assessment: Recycling and Reuse of Reclaimed Materials.
We spoke to R&D Project Manager Marco Monti, EOLIAN’s project coordinator.
What is Proplast’s experience in the renewable energy sector?
MM: As a technology centre focused on polymers and composites, renewable energy is not one of the main topics we face in our daily activities. However, we have always been fascinated by cross-fertilisation, that is the opportunity to merge together and work in synergy, with expertise and outcomes coming from different technical areas. In fact, in the past we have worked on materials for the renewable energy sector, especially for photovoltaics.
What attracted Proplast to the EOLIAN project?
MM: We think that the potential of wind energy to make energy production fully green is fundamental, but we are also aware of the fact that end-of-life components are difficult to recycle, and in this case, we had ideas to push.
That’s why we want to play our role towards wind energy’s full sustainability!
What are the key technologies EOLIAN is developing?
MM: Thermosetting polymers, the ones used to produce the fibre reinforced composites for wind blades, are not easily recyclable. In recent years, vitrimers have emerged out as a potential breakthrough solution to overcome this problem. That’s the main solution we are developing in EOLIAN.
We are confident that we will reach the planned TRL 5 at the end of the project, and that the full blade will be produced with the new materials.
Flexural testing of a vitrimer composite.
What are the biggest technical challenges?
MM: We are facing many technical challenges but they can be summarised in two words: performance and processability.
Performance means that the materials we develop, that is composites based on bio-based vitrimers and basalt fibres, will have properties comparable to the ones of traditional composites used for wind blade production, and comply with standards and regulations – a fundamental step towards industrialisation.
Processability means that the new vitrimer resins must be used in the traditional manufacturing techniques (vacuum infusion and/or hand lay up), otherwise there is no chance of industrial scale up!
Proplast leads Work Package 6. What are its objectives?
MM: As noted before, vitrimers and recyclability stand together: there is no interest in using vitrimers if you don’t plan a virtuous end-of-life management.
That’s the objective of WP6: End of Life Assessment: Recycling and Reuse of Reclaimed Materials. We will study and validate the new composites for reuse, repurposing, and recycling.
And of course, we also want to make their life longer, so another important ‘R’ is repairing!
Vitrimers are easier to recycle than current blade materials. They can also be repaired after they are broken, as this sample shows.
What do you hope the project will have demonstrated at completion?
MM: We work every day to make the sustainable solutions we have in mind ‘real’.
This is particularly true for the EOLIAN project. As a coordinator, we feel twice the responsibility of doing our best to reach the final goal and to see a wind blade manufactured with the new materials and with all the sensors!
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