Biobased Building Blocks & Products

Water bottles are made from various materials, making recycling a challenge. MNEXT and SAAR Sport are tackling this challenge in the "From Water Bottle to Circular Sports Product" project, funded by Innofest x SIA Sport 2024. The results of this research will be tested during the World Cup Qualification Tournament from November 8 to 10 at the Thialf Stadium.

MNEXT, together with 10 partners in West-North Brabant and led by TNO, will be working together to make green building blocks with local tree and plant residues. From grass to glue, from sugar beet pulp to paint or from wood chips to insulation foam are examples of what the B4 project – Better Biobased Building Blocks - envisions. These building blocks not only make products for the construction industry more sustainable, but also provide scratch resistance, flame retardancy or UV resistance. Besides these technological innovations, the partners in this B4 project also share knowledge with students, companies and governments to prepare them for and involve them in this raw materials transition. This will transform Western North Brabant into a hotspot for biobased building blocks for the construction industry.   

The Netherlands annually produces approximately 1.5 megatons of onions, or 1,500,000 kilograms (Holland Onion Association, 2020), making it the world leader in onion exports. In the processing of these onions, a residual stream of approximately 30 kilotons, 30,000 kilograms, of sorted-out onions, trimmings, and peels is generated each year. Currently, these byproducts are underutilized in low-value applications. The project Mild Extraction of Essential Oils and Fats from Onion Residual Streams by MNEXT and Biorefinery investigates the possibilities of valorizing these residual streams into high-value applications.

Imagine a colorful world where beauty goes hand in hand with sustainability. The colorant market is expected to reach a staggering €86.76 billion globally by 2030. However, let's be honest, conventional synthetic colors not only bring color but also pose risks to the environment and our health. This is where the new project "Turn FUnghi potentials into a COLorful future (TUFUCOL)" comes into play.

At MNEXT, we currently have 7 professorships, each led by a professor. Recently, we have also introduced associate professors—individuals who work at the lector level but focus on a specific field within the professorship. This allows us to delve deeper into themes that are important to MNEXT. We spoke with our recently appointed associate professors, Miaomiao Zhou, Qian Zhou and Tanja Moerdijk about their motivations and plans.

Thousands of people, including none other than Queen Máxima, walked on the unique floor tiles made from recycled thermoset biocomposites during the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Researcher Lennart Zoeter from the HZ research group Biobased Building at MNEXT created these special tiles for the OPZuid project BRIC. "It may sound simple, but recycling a thermoset composite is incredibly challenging."

The CurCol project conducted research to the potential of Curcumin as a natural dye. Curcumin is already used in food and pharmaceutical products and is a sustainable alternative to dyes from non-renewable sources. The project has successfully brought innovative steps for both the agricultural and industrial sectors and contributes towards the proposed sustainability goals.

Plastic waste… one of the biggest environmental problems of the 21st century. By 2050, it is estimated that up to 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in nature wordlwide.

Practice-oriented research plays a role in the material and energy transition that should not be underestimated. This not only relates to the knowledge that is gained in research projects, but especially also to the place where that knowledge ends up; at the students. Every year, no fewer than 80 students participate in the most intensive form of CoE BBE, namely an internship. For 20 weeks, the students fully participate in a research project as a graduate or in an internship. Each and every one of them ambassadors in the aforementioned transition.

The first “Smart Circular Bridge” has been built. An old material is being rediscovered: flax has been with us for thousands of years in the form of clothing, sacks, and robust ship's ropes. Now the plant fibres are experiencing a renaissance and could become the building material of the future. Combined with a special bio-resin, it can be made into a light and highly stable material with properties comparable to aluminium or steel. The EU project "Smart Circular Bridge" shows what is possible with this innovative new material.

In deze Biobased Update kan je onder andere meer Lezen over lerend netwerk biobouwers, studenten die bedrijven helpen en gezondere kleding!

On the 20th of April the first CurCol event took place. More than 50 participants listened online to the inspirering presentations of Centexbel, Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy, Rodenburg Biopolymers and DeltaQ.