ReCreate – Reusing precast concrete to accelerate the circular economy
ReCreate is an EU-funded four-year project (2021–2025) that focuses on the dismantling and reuse of precast concrete elements. ReCreate is accelerating the transition to a circular economy by examining the systemic changes that will be needed in the ecosystems of construction and demolition. The key task of the project is to innovate and develop new technological solutions and processes for deconstruction and reuse. The construction industry can save a considerable amount of energy and raw materials by reusing old construction materials. In addition to this, the project will also study work and political processes.
Tampere University serves as the coordinator of the research project.
The UPCE project studies the living lab platforms of cities
The multidisciplinary profiling project University Platform for Circular Economy (2018–2022) focuses on the utilisation of living lab platforms to promote circular economy in cities. From Tampere University, the units of environmental technology, industrial engineering, aerosol physics and environmental politics are involved. The research focuses on the Hiedanranta living labs and nutrient recycling in particular. The research group studies the impact of various stakeholders on living labs from the perspectives of technological development, implementation, coordinating stakeholder cooperation and economy.
Collaborative project develops black liquor into biofuel for shipping and air transport
Black Liquor to Fuel (BL2F) is a Horizon 2020 project that examines the use of black liquor in the development of a clean high-quality biofuel. Black liquor is a side-stream of the chemical pulping industry that can be converted into fuel, reducing waste and providing an alternative to fossil fuels.
Launched in April 2020, BL2F will develop a first-of-a-kind integrated Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) process for pulp mills that will decrease carbon emissions during the creation of the fuel intermediate, which will then be further developed in oil refineries to bring it closer to the final product and provide a feedstock for marine and aviation fuels.
The BL2F project brings together 12 partners from 8 countries around Europe. The consortium is composed of universities, research institutes, industrial partners and SMEs that bring together complementary skills and knowledge to achieve the project’s goals.
International research supports industry transition to composite recycling
The FiberEUse project seeks to integrate different innovative activities through a holistic approach to enhance the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products. With the help of new cloud-based ICT solutions for value-chain integration, the scouting of new markets, an analysis of legislative barriers and the life cycle assessment of different reverse logistic options, FiberEUse will support industry in the transition to a circular economy model for composites.
FiberEUse is a €9.8 million research project funded by the EU. The project was launched in June 2017 and involves 20 partners from seven EU countries.
Read more about the FiberEUse.
Project to develop a sustainable alternative to carbon fibres
EUCAlyptus LIgnin VAlorisation for Advanced Materials and Carbon Fibres (Eucaliva) is a research project bases on the extraction of high-purity soluble lignin from chemical wood pulping processes.
The project will develop and set up a fully integrated, energy-efficient, scalable, innovative and flexible processing chain based on the valorisation of lignin for producing carbon fibres and other carbon-based materials, mainly for functional applications.
The project partners are developing a variety of applications: multifunctional film-like conductive, piezo-resistive and piezoelectric materials (for example for biosensors, flexible electrodes and stretchable electronics), smart fabrics and functional fibres as well as applications based on fibrous mats, non-woven fabrics and their carbonised derivatives (carbon-activated products).
Developing bio-based and degradable materials for industrial food packaging
The BioBarr project responds to the industrial and technological challenge of developing fully biodegradable food packaging.
The novel solutions applied in the project concern the smart combination of advanced technological elements, such as PHA biopolymers, new coating treatment technologies applied to PHAs and the development and application of a completely biodegradable bio-ink for printing on the PHA-based packaging.
The project is funded by Horizon 2020.
Company collaboration creates new business opportunities based on recycled plastic
The PLASTin – ALL‐IN for Plastics Recycling project was established to support the plastic industry in developing systemic and environmentally optimised recycling concepts. This can be achieved by generating new knowledge about recycling processes and technologies, such as sorting, pre‐treatment, mechanical and chemical treatment and reject handling, and building a system‐level understanding to uncover new business opportunities that are based on recycling.
In addition to Tampere University, the project includes researchers from other Finnish universities and research institutes as well as several companies. The project is funded by Business Finland.
New sampling methods for purifier sludge microplastics
Microplastics are under 5 mm in size. It has been estimated that more than 99% of microplastics are removed from water in municipal wastewater treatment plants, and large quantities of microplastics end up in sewage sludge. Now there are standardised methods for the characterisation of microplastics found in sewage sludge.
The Characterisation of Microplastics in Sewage Sludge project develops and validates sampling and characterisation methods for microplastics from sewage sludge and explores how selected sludge treatment processes affect microplastics.
Flagship project helps businesses meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement
The Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC) is a Finnish Flagship working to address two of the most urgent global challenges: climate change and deteriorating air quality.
ACCC’s mission is to help Finland, EU and the world reach the goals of the Paris Agreement and adapt to climate change by developing sustainable, cost-effective and research-informed solutions and mitigating air pollution to sustain a healthy atmosphere.
ACCC is funded by the Academy of Finland and comprises researchers from the University of Helsinki, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the University of Eastern Finland and Tampere University.
Tampere University takes part in raising awareness of wood-based bioeconomy
Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences are involved in the New Wood community made up of more than 20 Finnish organisations. New Wood promotes wood-based bioeconomy and provides information to stakeholders and policymakers about the significance and value of wood-based products.
The goal of New Wood is to raise awareness of wood-based bioeconomy by highlighting new and existing products and solutions, exploring their impact on society, and offering expert perspectives on the outlook of this innovative industry.
Tampere University is promoting for environmental responsibility for the plastic industry
The University of Tampere is participating in the Composite Division operated by Plastic Industries ry. The university’s representative on the Board of Directors is Mikko Kanerva, professor of materials studies.
The Composite Division acts as a collaborative body for the plastics industry. It promotes networking, monitors the development and standardisation of environmental issues and technology in the field, and aims to influence their content.
The division promotes training and research in the field, conducts joint projects and works to develop the general playing field for the sector.