Partners

Unit (UMET) is a laboratory of the University of Lille - Sciences and Technologies and of the CNRS (UMR 8207), associated with the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille (ENSCL) (http://umet.univ-lille.fr/). The UMET meets the dual objective of concentrating "Materials" activities within the Chevreul Federation of the University of Lille 1 and of creating the synergies necessary for increasingly efficient research subject to growing national and international competition. The outline of the unit meets the desire to maintain thematic consistency, as all UMET teams have a core materials business.

The "Polymer Systems Engineering" team includes the "Phenomena at Surfaces and Interfaces (PSI)" research group. The research work of this group is oriented in the following fields:

- Elaboration and characterisation of polymerisable systems under Ultraviolet radiation (UV) and by electronic bombardment (EB) (polymer gels, coatings, etc.).

- Implementation of surface treatment processes

- Recycling, reuse and re-use of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

Over the last twenty years or so, the PSI group has acquired internationally recognised expertise in the development and characterisation of polymer-based composite materials. In addition to the elaboration under UV radiation, the group uses an original technique: the elaboration under EB. These skills are reflected in numerous national and international collaborations, and in particular with the following Algerian universities: Tlemcen, Sidi Bel Abbès, Oran, Mascara, Algiers, and Djelfa, resulting in numerous publications and oral or poster communications.

Ulrich Maschke has developed a solid experience as coordinator of national and international scientific research projects. These projects are generally related to environmental issues; they associate academic and industrial partners from various fields of expertise (chemistry, physics, electronics, industrial production...). These projects are regularly the subject of doctoral theses, publications in international journals with a high impact factor, presentations at international congresses; patents are also regularly filed with the INPI and accepted.

MATERIA NOVA is a research centre of about 90 people working on the development of new materials and the characterisation and modification of interfaces (www.materianova.be). The scientific and technological know-how available at the MATERIA NOVA research centre enables it to intervene in all stages of development and the life span of a material even after its end of life (biodegradation or recycling). Studying and developing a material requires know-how and in-depth knowledge of the nature of these compounds as well as surface properties in relation to its close environment such as degradation, corrosion, ageing or wetting. The materials studied at Materia Nova include polymer materials (thermoplastics and thermosetting), metals and glass. All these areas of research can be covered thanks to the remarkable range of equipment available at Materia Nova. More specifically, MATERIA NOVA has been involved for more than 15 years in numerous regional and international research programmes and projects (e.g. European projects : FP6 and FP7, CORNET projects, INTERREG III and IV projects, regional collective research projects, "public-private" collaborative projects in the framework of the Marshall Plan, projects in the framework of ERDF-regional convergence funding). This has enabled it to develop internationally recognised know-how in the synthesis, formulation, chemical modification and characterisation of resins and polymer systems to manufacture materials with improved properties. MATERIA NOVA has also developed several techniques to elaborate nano-composites by improving the interactions between the particles and the polymer matrix by modifying the surface chemistry.

Centexbel is originally a scientific research centre for the textile industry with three main axes (www.centexbel.be). Research, technological service and test laboratory. Centexbel is a member organisation with close links to more than 600 companies. Centexbel's research is based on industrial demand and is application-oriented. As such, Centexbel wants to offer answers to the opportunities and needs of the textile industry. With the acquisition of VKC (www.vkc.be) in 2014, Centexbel is focusing on synergies with companies in the plastics industry. This means that mutual opportunities are treated in this way, and looks at how problems in one sector can be solved with the skills of the other. VKC-Centexbel has extensive experience in the fields of identification, characterisation and processing of plastics and textiles . This experience in the field of plastics recycling has been gained through years of cooperation with companies and through research projects at national and international level with universities and knowledge centres.
For this research, VKC-Centexbel has at its disposal various analysis, compounding and melt filtration equipment as well as processing machines (injection, extrusion, thermoforming, etc.).
In the project, VKC-Centexbel will mainly focus on the identification and modification of the different recycling flows in order to evaluate the finished products after the appropriate use of these materials. It should be noted that VKC was with CERTECH and CREPIM an active partner in the Polymer (Interreg III) then Recy-Polymer (Interreg IV) projects during which it contributed to crystallise a base of competence around the recycling of plastics.

CREPIM is a European laboratory for the development and validation of materials for the sectors concerned by fire safety (www.crepim.fr). Located in the heart of Europe, CREPIM develops, tests and certifies fire-resistant formulations for companies working in the mass transport (rail, aviation and naval), building, electrical and textile sectors. This activity is carried out in an environmentally friendly framework that takes into account the end-of-life of products.
In order to better respond to the joint needs of development and testing, CREPIM's activity is organised into 4 divisions: (i) the Testing centre, (ii) the Certification centre, (iii) the Development centre and (iv) the Training centre. For the purposes of this application, it is the development division that will be in charge of the project.
CREPIM is already heavily involved in various recycling projects, as the presence of fireproofing agent in the matrices poses technical obstacles to integration in downstream sectors. It should be noted that CREPIM, together with ARMINES and MATERIA NOVA, was an active partner in the NAVARE project (Interreg IV), during which it helped to crystallise a base of skills around plastics recycling.