National Centre of Competence Consortium Meeting
From 31 October to 1 November 2024, a workshop and meeting of the partners associated within the National Centre of Competence in Polymer Materials and Technologies for the 21st Century (PolyEnvi21) took place in Zlín. During the workshop, the individual researchers presented their sub-projects in terms of the solutions being developed for industrial end-use applications. Organised on a periodical basis, the meeting saw the interim outputs of the sub-projects being presented and discussed. Through this approach, the Centre – coordinated by the Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín – aims to empower the cooperation between academia and industry to accelerate the development and application of novel, environmentally friendly polymer materials and technologies.
The sub-topics currently being addressed within PolyEnvi21 cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to the implementation of circular economy principles in the plastics industry. “Specifically, we tackle projects aimed at improving the efficiency of automated sorting of plastic waste for subsequent mechanical, chemical and biological recycling. In addition, technologies are being developed in collaboration with industrial partners to maximise the meaningful use of waste that would normally end up at a landfill/incineration site,“ describes Prof. Vladimír Sedlařík, the CPS Director. Related to this is the technology for removing undesired substances that complicate the recycling process. Furthermore, new material systems are being developed to enable, for example, the production of components for the automotive industry that will not produce emissions of hazardous pollutants into the air, the production of materials based on renewable raw materials or the development of products for more efficient management of agrochemicals.
The project of the National Competence Centre is included among highly efficient incentive tools for effective industrial research and experimental development. The National Competence Centre – Polymers for the 21st Century (PolyEnvi21) focuses on the development of new polymer systems that take into account the goals of sustainable development, practical applicability and economic competitiveness. PolyEnvi21’s core competency is the mechanical, chemical and biological recycling of polymeric materials, including related processes. Significant attention is paid to the complex concept of the solutions being developed to fulfil circular economy principles.
The National Competence Centre – Polymers for the 21st Century project is co-funded by the Czech Technology Agency (project ID: TN02000051). The implementation of the project started on 1 January 2023 and will run until 31 December 2028.
