MAGICBIOMAT

Objectives

Biodegradable plastics are designed to break down in controlled waste management conditions. However, when discarded or lost to the environment they often fail to decompose completely, contributing to littering and plastic pollution. To fully address the issue of plastic pollution, we need innovative solutions. The EU-funded MAGICBIOMAT project will utilise AI software to design and develop bio-based materials that are ‘programmed’ to biodegrade in real marine and terrestrial environments. The project focuses on two applications that significantly contribute to littering: agricultural mulching films and paper-based packaging. The developed plastics will be tested in different European environments, ensuring they break down as intended. Additionally, MAGICBIOMAT will promote user acceptance of biodegradable plastics through interactive labelling and behaviour change strategies.

Challenges

Biodegradable alternatives offer a promising solution to plastic pollution and waste littering in the open environment in some specific contexts, as they break down naturally under specific environmental conditions. However, it is often reported that many biodegradable plastics do not fully degrade in their receiving environment.
MAGICBIOMAT aims at developing a portfolio of circular bio-based materials with programmed biodegradability demonstrated through 2 applications with highly concerning rates of littering: mulching films and paper-based packaging, tested in open environments conditions (soil, fresh water and marine) and different EU climates.

Moreover, MAGICBIOMAT will address circularity by improving the durability of the developed bio-based materials for extending lifespan of products, as well as assessing mechanical recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse.

To enable programming of biodegradability of the bio-based materials, MAGICBIOMAT will develop a trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered software to guide the design and manufacturing of novel materials according to applications requirements (properties, manufacturing) and end-of-life needs and conditions, exploiting data from the project material development and biodegradation tests, complemented with open access data. This tool will foster adoption of novel bio-based biodegradable materials by the industry.
Prevention of waste littering will also be tackled through consumers’ and end users’ perspective, for which behavioural studies will be carried out to develop interactive labelling and behaviour change strategies that foster user-acceptance of the novel biodegradable materials.

Project funded by :

Partners

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA • ORGANIK KIMYA SANAYI VE TICARET AS • DIGIOTOUCH OU • IPC • ISOTECH LTD • THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD