Objective

BIODEST (Synthesis, Characterization, Structure and Properties of Novel Biodegradable Polyesters) Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) project aims to strengthen around student and staff exchanges with the aim to improve skills and knowledge of the participating partners and promote collaboration between four academic European Research organizations: University of the Basque Country (Spain), University of Mons (Belgium), University of Genova (Italy), and University of Birmingham (U.K.), the non-academic European organization “Ma+D - Waste Valorization Engineering” and five non-EU Research Organizations: University of Tulane (USA), Chinese Academy of Science (China), Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela), University of Stellenbosch (South Africa), and Yamagata University (Japan). The project will provide support for the participating research organizations to establish or reinforce long-term research cooperation in the topic of novel biodegradable polyesters through a coordinated joint programme of exchange of researchers for short periods.

More information: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/212999/factsheet/en

General Project Description

This project will contribute to preserve our environment by synthesizing or formulating biobased and biodegradable polyesters (or copolyesters) that can substitute traditional plastics in commodity applications (like the ubiquitous plastic bags or water bottles) or biomedical applications (like drug delivery vehicles, devices and scaffolds for tissue engineering). The project will promote Green Chemistry, the emerging field that supports the design of reactions and processes in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Some examples of biodegradable materials that have been already developed during this project or are in the process of being developed:

• Cyclic PLLA (Poly-L-lactide).
• PLLA with different additives to improve processing, crystallization ability and thermal usage range.
• 3-D printed parts of a PBS-ran-PBA copolymer. This copolymer is a biodegradable material with poly(butylene succinate) and poly(butylene adipate) units.
• Random copolyesters with different compositions incorporating comonomers like: PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), PLLA, PBS, PBA, PBAz (polybutylene azelate), PCL (polycaprolactone).