BIORING

Engineering high performance biocoatings from renewable reactive building blocks

Project details

Type of project: Research & Innovation Action
Project focus: Bio-based polymers & plastics
Feedstock origin: Forestry waste
Feedstock type: Crop residues
Food industry sidestreams
Lignin & wood residues

Project period: 1 June 2023 - 31 May 2026
Status: In progress
CBE JU Contribution: € 4 083 971,25
Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022

Summary

UV-curable polyurethane coatings play a major role in various industries due to their versatility, high performance and energy-efficient production and application. But their production largely depends on fossil-based raw materials, and bio-based alternatives account for a negligible market share.

BIORING is developing UV-curable polyurethane coatings with biogenic content of over 95%. The production process allows the characteristics of the coatings to be adjusted to meet industrial needs and can be adapted to take account of future developments. The coatings will be demonstrated in the automotive and construction sectors, with economic analysis performed for future scale-up. Biodegradability and recycling scenarios for coated products will also be assessed.

The overall goal of BIORING is to create a versatile, robust and scalable solution to meet the need for bio-based coatings for high-performance applications. To this end, the following objectives have been defined:

provision of a combination of renewable constituents for high-performance, bio-based UV-curable polyurethane coatings;
development of two 95% bio-based formulations containing these constituents;
provision of proof of improved performance and health, safety and end-of-life profiles;
development of a modelling framework that aligns decision-making during the design process with the predicted properties of coatings based on their formulation;
demonstration of the economic feasibility of the coatings through the development of proofs of concept for the automotive and construction sectors and identification of wider market applications.

BIORING is expected to:

diversify the product portfolio of bio-based polyurethane coatings and widen their range of applications;
increase the sustainability and circularity of bio-based coatings and improve their health and safety profile when compared with fossil-based coatings;
contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and European leadership in the field of sustainability;
foster global competitiveness among European companies, including SMEs, while enabling them to comply with EU legislation.