In the CircularBioMat project we want to minimize the environmental footprint by substituting
petroleum-based polymers with bio-based polymers for building services engineering. We
also want to improve the resource efficiency and bring the materials into a circular economy.
To do this, we need to develop a catalogue of requirements, taking into account the current
standards for the construction industry. First, we evaluate the existing materials and then
we can select bio-based or recycled polymers. These are processed using standard techno-
logies such as injection moulding and extrusion, but also using Additive Manufacturing via
Material Extrusion (MEX). During these trials, the power supply and the amount of cooling
water will be measured to provide better data for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The LCA
will then show how the different materials perform in respect to the carbon footprint.
As a first step, we have selected bio-based polymers that are expected to perform well com-
pared to the petroleum-based polymers. All materials are characterised at the Institute of
Polymer Processing using the High Pressure Capillary Rheometer for viscosity, Differential
Scanning Calorimetry for thermal properties and pvT measurements (specific volume as a
function of pressure (p) and temperature (T)).