AVANSITE

Composites are complex materials. The reinforcement, the resin and the additives can be combined in numerous ways to provide the optimal combination of properties required for a specific application. Moreover, there are many different processing techniques available for converting the materials into parts. This means that in order to develop sustainable composites, their development must be tackled from different points of view:

- Raw materials that have the optimal characteristics for reaching the physical and mechanical properties necessary in the final part, which are sustainable and, if possible, recyclable.
- Advanced and efficient processing technologies.
- Technologies for recycling the composite and reusing materials obtained from the recycling (fibres and/or resins).

Also, the “advanced materials” and the polymer composites that belong to this category constitute the basis for innovation in a wide range of industries such as: transport, food, consumer goods, electronics, energy, health, construction, computing, telecommunications, as well as the management and recycling of waste, with the potential to allow these and other industries to become interrelated to achieve sustainable growth. In an economic context of transition to a circular economy, key challenges are presented, such as the use of resources of a biological nature and the sustainable recycling of materials, that go beyond material innovation and integrate synergy with the advanced processes and opportunities that digital technologies can offer.

AVANSITE is a collaborative scientific research project, which is developing new sustainable and recyclable composites in accordance with the needs of society and industry. There is a growing concern in society for progress to be made in the reduction of emissions and waste, in the replacement of polluting substances by other sustainable substances, in the reuse of waste and subproducts in new high added value products, in the use of natural materials, in the use of recyclable materials and products and in the responsible and efficient consumption of raw materials and energy. Materials are needed from industry that contribute to the reduction of manufacturing costs, reduce manufacturing times and energy consumption, and which allow multifunctional products to be obtained that are transformed with automatable and digitalisable technologies. From the generation of collaborative knowledge, the AVANSITE project intends to contribute to this transition, by focusing on the family of polymer composites within the field of Advanced Materials.