In the aftermath of more than three years of international research, the ECOXY project comes to an end. The European project, involving twelve partners from eight different countries, has achieved its goal by finishing the enquiry and development of new thermoset and sustainable materials, made of a plant-origin resin and reinforcements of either linen fibre or bio-based PLA. The developed materials provide three competitive advantages, the 3R: they are repairable, reprocessable and recyclable. ECOXY, with CIDETEC as coordinator, had a budget of 4.85 million euros, contributed entirely by the European Commission through the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU).
Elena Jubete and Aratz Genua, from CIDETEC, hosted the final conference.
The project parts have been obtained through two types of processes. The window profile for buildings was processed using the pultrusion technique.
The technique used to manufacture the backrests for rear car seats is the WCM (Wet Compression Moulding) technique.
Plastic and composite materials obtained in the project are a real alternative for many industrial sectors. Their advantages in design, ease of assembly and maintenance set new horizons in terms of sustainability and industrial competitiveness. Within construction, these materials have a wide range of applications; additives confer fire-retardant properties and optimise the internal temperature of buildings.
The final conference had high-level participation, with hundreds of virtual attendees from all over the world. The event concluded with several virtual round tables in which some of the most outstanding companies within construction and transport took part, finding common ground on building new horizons of industry.
