Our third consortium meeting, coordinated by Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology in Luxembourg, continues the SuperBark research and innovation initiative funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) under Horizon Europe.
Assessment of Progress
The third SuperBark consortium meeting, organized by Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), was a productive checkpoint for assessing the progress and possible challenges of the project. The face-to-face meeting allowed close examination of the activities of the past months and agreement on next steps for each work package. Further, the meeting provided the opportunity to effectively share research data to the WP5 team, which focuses on process modelling, safety and sustainability of the SuperBark project’s methodology and developed products.
Safety and Sustainability by Design
One of the SuperBark objectives is to implement the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework and tailor criteria for supporting the development of sustainable adhesives and coatings solutions. This is the goal of WP5, led by the Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) research unit at LIST. The team specializes in risk and impact assessment services associated with manufacturing products and technologies, consumption patterns, energy systems and the urban built environment. Together with the consortium partners, LIST will create a methodology to evaluate the design of new 95% bio-based adhesives and coatings from softwood bark.
SuperBark consortium touring the Environmental Health (EH) group laboratories of the SUSTAIN unit at LIST.
Tour of LIST Testing Laboratories
The consortium meeting included a fascinating tour of the Environmental Health (EH) group laboratories of the SUSTAIN unit, where our partners could learn about the testing capabilities firsthand. The research unit performs a vast range of integrated assessments of the safety, regulatory, sustainability and toxicity aspects of products, materials and substances. Within SuperBark, the SSbD assessment will leverage evaluations from environmental sustainability assessment (LCA and circularity), chemical safety assessment, and recyclability and biodegradability assessment.
Combined with techno-economic assessment, results from the data analysis, process design and system dynamics modelling will be used to produce an open-access online tool. This digital platform will allow stakeholders outside the consortium to evaluate the economic potential of using softwood bark for adhesives and/or coatings, supporting the scale-up and replication of the SuperBark methodology across Europe in the future.
A big thank you to the LIST team for hosting our third consortium meeting and for your important work on safety and sustainability assessment in SuperBark!
For more information on LIST and WP5 activities, please contact WP5 Leader Panagiotis Isigonis, at panagiotis.isigonis@list.lu