TY - JOUR A1 - Slotyuk, Lyubov A1 - Part, Florian A1 - Schlegel, Moritz-Caspar A1 - Akkerman, Floris T1 - Life Cycle Assessment of the Domestic Micro Heat and Power Generation Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell in Comparison with the Gas Condensing Boiler Plus Electricity from the Grid N2 - The energy demand of private households contributes globally to 36.5% of the total CO2 emissions. To analyze the emissions reduction potential, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell in a residential application and a conventional system with a stand-alone gas condensing boiler and electricity from a grid mix. The period under review was referred to as the service life of the PEMFC and is assumed to be 10 years (83,038 h of PEMFC). The applicability of this in a single-family house built between 1991 and 2000 under German climatic conditions was investigated. The functional unit is set to the thermal energy demand of 16,244 kWh/a and electricity demand of 4919 kWh/a of a single-family house. The impact assessment method “CML 2001–August 2016” was used in this investigation. The manufacturing phase of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell showed disadvantages, whereby the use phase had significant advantages in most of the environmental impact categories as compared to the conventional energy supply system. Considering the whole life cycle, the advantages from the use phase could outperform the disadvantages from the manufacturing phase in most of the impact categories, except for ADP elements and TETP. KW - Sustainability KW - Circular Economy KW - Comparative life cycle assessment KW - Proton exchange membrane fuel cell KW - Gas condensing boiler KW - Micro heat and power generation KW - Residential application KW - Single-family house energy supply system PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-598134 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062348 VL - 16 IS - 6 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI AG AN - OPUS4-59813 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rockel, Daniel A1 - Sanchez Olivares, G. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Improving the Flame Retardancy of Aluminium Trihydroxide in Thermoplastic Starch Biocomposites Using Waste Fibers and Silicon-Based Synergists N2 - The synergistic behavior of different silicon compounds is investigated in flame retardant biocomposites with aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) as the main flame retardant. The paper shows a new approach towards sustainable biocomposites through the implementation of thermoplastic starch (TPS), leather fibers from industrial waste streams, and non-hazardous flame retardants and synergists. In these multicomponent systems, the different components address different modes of action in the fire scenario. When ATH is partially substituted by glass frits or layered silicates, fire performance is enhanced without changing the total amount of filler in the polymer. In a biocomposite with 25 phr of fiber and 90 phr of ATH, substituting 5 phr of ATH for layered silicates increased the LOI from 31.5 vol % to 34.8 vol %, decreased the peak of heat release by 20%, and increased the UL 94 rating from V-1 to V-0. KW - Biocomposites KW - Sustainability KW - Waste streams KW - Flame retardancy KW - Synergism KW - Modes of action PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-605711 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00053 SN - 2837-1445 VL - 1 IS - 6 SP - 1131 EP - 1145 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-60571 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dace, Elina A1 - Cascavilla, Alessandro A1 - Bianchi, Marco A1 - Chioatto, Elisa A1 - Zecca, Emy A1 - Ladu, Luana A1 - Yilan, Gülsah T1 - Barriers to transitioning to a circular bio-based economy: Findings from an industrial perspective N2 - The transition from a linear fossil-based to a circular bio-based economy represents an opportunity and a suitable pathway for achieving several sustainable development goals. However, the transition is a complex process since it requires transformative policies, purposeful innovation, access to finance, risk-taking capacity as well as new and sustainable business models and markets. Accordingly, the first step in this transition process is the identification of barriers that are hampering the transition to a sustainable circular bio-based economy. With this motivation in mind, this study reviews grey literature to identify barriers focusing on four critical sectors facing major challenges within the current linear economy and requiring a sustainable transition most urgently: construction, chemicals, plastics, and textile sectors. Employing an adapted STEEP methodology (Social, Technological, Economical, Environmental, Political), a total of 193 different barriers have been identified and clustered under six categories: cultural, technical, economic, environmental, governance, and structural. Regardless of the sector, cultural and structural barriers are identified as the most prominent; the lack of incentives for consumer behaviour change and lack of stakeholder collaboration were the most cited barriers among the literature records. From a value chain perspective, most of the barriers are related to the material processing and product manufacturing stage. Finally, potential solutions, extracted from the grey literature, are proposed to fill the gaps and overcome the identified barriers. Many of the identified barriers are common across the four investigated sectors, indicating the solutions or measures can be applicable in a wider perspective to promote the transition in the right direction. KW - Circular Bio-based Economy KW - Barriers KW - Sustainability PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-602062 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.05.029 VL - 48 SP - 407 EP - 418 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-60206 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mark, Peter A1 - Sanio, David A1 - Balzani, Daniel A1 - Curoșu, Iurie A1 - Hafner, Annette A1 - König, Markus A1 - Kuhlenkötter, Bernd A1 - Thewes, Markus A1 - Baille, Wiebke A1 - Hackl, Klaus A1 - Hagedorn, Philipp A1 - Meschke, Günther A1 - Nestorović, Tamara A1 - Neu, Gerrit Emanuel A1 - Sauer, Roger A1 - Tafili, Merita A1 - Vogel, Andreas A1 - Weber, Sebastian A1 - Wichern, Marc A1 - Wichtmann, Torsten A1 - Niederleithinger, Ernst A1 - Freitag, Steffen A1 - Menges, Achim A1 - Simon, Sven T1 - Modulares Wiederverwenden von Bestandstragwerken T1 - Modular reuse of existing load-bearing structures N2 - Natürliche Prozesse laufen im Kreislauf ab. Auf Vergehen folgt gleichwertiges Entstehen. Solch ein Zirkularitätsprinzip ist im Tragwerksbau nicht verankert. Nach Nutzungsende werden Bauwerke abgebrochen, falls möglich zerlegt und recycelt. Besonders davon betroffen ist die Stahlbetonbauweise mit ihrem enormen Baubestand. Abbruch löst ein fatales Downcycling aus, mit minderwertigem Betoneinsatz als Schüttgut oder Deponierung. Selten besiegeln dabei Tragfähigkeitsdefizite das Nutzungsende, vielmehr sind Nutzungseinschränkungen oder baurechtliche Schranken ausschlaggebend. Die Folgen sind eine enorme Verschwendung an Ressourcen wie Sand oder Kies, Treibhausgasemission zur Aufbereitung und Abfall. Wiederverwenden (engl. reuse) bedeutet ein erneutes Nutzen von Stahlbeton als Bauteil (Modul). Nicht mehr genutzte Tragwerke werden dazu in die noch tragfähigen Anteile zerlegt, in ihren Eigenschaften charakterisiert, aufgearbeitet und baukastenartig zu neuen Tragwerken zusammengefügt. Es entsteht ein kreislauffähiges Modulsystem. Der Sonderforschungsbereich 1683 mit Sprecherschaft an der Ruhr‐Universität Bochum befasst sich mit dieser Art der modularen Wiederverwendung und erarbeitet Entwurfs‐ und Reparaturkonzepte für Tragwerke aus wiederverwendetem Stahlbeton, automatisierte Charakterisierungs‐ und Aufarbeitungsverfahren sowie Prozessmethoden für Logistik, Dekonstruktion und die Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung. Der Beitrag stellt die Konzepte und Demonstratoren möglicher Tragwerke vor. N2 - Natural processes run in cycles. On decay follows full regeneration. Such circularity is not yet rooted in the principles of structural engineering. At the end of service, buildings are demolished and, when feasible, disassembled for recycling. This also applies to reinforced concrete construction with its vast building stock. Demolition triggers a fatal downcycling process in which the concrete is used as bulk material or disposed of in a landfill. However, near the end of service, capacity deficits are seldom the key factor; utilization limits or construction regulations are decisive instead. The consequences are an enormous waste of resources, such as sand or gravel, greenhouse gas emissions from reprocessing and waste. Reuse means the repeated use of reinforced concrete as structural components (modules). No longer needed buildings are deconstructed into load-bearing elements, characterized, refurbished, and assembled into new modular structures, creating a circular modular system. The Collaborative Research Center 1683 at Ruhr University Bochum is a multidisciplinary cooperation addressing modular reuse. It develops design and repair concepts for load-bearing structures made of reused reinforced concrete, automated characterization and processing, and processes for logistics, deconstruction, and sustainability assessment. This paper presents early concepts and demonstrators of such envisaged structures. KW - Wiederverwendung KW - Kreislaufwirtschaft KW - Stahlbeton KW - Nachhaltigkeit KW - Modulares Bauen KW - Automatisierung KW - Reuse KW - Circular economy KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Sustainability KW - Modular construction KW - Automation PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/bate.70000 SN - 0932-8351 VL - 102 IS - 8 SP - 424 EP - 435 PB - Ernst & Sohn CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-64015 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rockel, Daniel A1 - Sanchez Olivares, G. A1 - Calderas, F. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - It’s not waste, it’s a resource: Utilizing industrial waste fibers/mineral fillers to attain flame retardant biocomposites N2 - Integrating natural fibers derived from local industrial waste streams into thermoplastic starch (TPS) proves to be a promising approach towards sustainable flame retardant biocomposites. Initially, three types of waste fibers from the agave, coconut, and leather industries were evaluated for their flame retardant properties in combination with aluminum trihydroxide (ATH), an environmental friendly flame retardant. Leather fiber (BLF) exhibited the best flame retardant performance and were further investigated along with ATH and varying amounts of bentonite nanoclay to enhance the residual protective layer. The combination of multiple components shows improvement in performance while reducing the total load of filler. The images of the fire residues revealed that a more enclosed surface correlates with a reduction in the peak of heat release rate. Whereas higher amounts of bentonite does not deliver further inprovements, only 1 phr nanoclay in the novel multicomponent system of TPS, ATH, BLF, and bentonite synergistically improved the UL-94 rating from HB to V1. The proposed system brings together the different approaches using a renewable biopolymer, natural waste fibres, and envirnmentally friendly flame retardancy and thus, is striking for its combination of outstanding sustainablity, instant feasability, and sufficient fire performance. KW - Biocomposites KW - Flame retardancy KW - Residue analysis KW - Sustainability KW - Waste streams PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/08927057241297083 SN - 0892-7057 SN - 1530-7980 VL - 38 IS - 6 SP - 2225 EP - 2252 PB - Sage AN - OPUS4-63431 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Fire Retardancy Featuring Sustainability: Food for Thought between Fake Fiction and Future N2 - MAIN MESSAGE: Sustainability, or in other words, exploiting environmental conservation for the economic welfare and prosperity for all, would revolutionise the plastics industry were it to become predominant practice as a linear, fossil-fuel–based economy is switched to a carbon circular economy. Food for though is given by dint of a critical overview of the current trends in sustainable flame-retardant polymeric materials. STARTING POINT AND INTRODUCTION: Transforming the plastics industry into a carbon circular economy over the next 30 years requires an immediate revolution entailing the development of cutting-edge materials and the planning of future industrial production plants. Hence, the innovative field of flame-retardant polymeric materials for electrical engineering, construction, or materials used in transportation should lend its strength to drive this challenge. Visionary solutions are proposed to inspire us, while the implementation of economically feasible concepts can take us forward into the future. A critical and structured overview of current trends towards sustainable, flame-retardant polymeric materials is presented, using examples from the literature and by sketching our own projects performed in recent years. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This overview of current trends towards producing sustainable, flame-retardant polymeric materials is presented, selecting outstanding and representative examples from the literature and sketching main points of our own projects performed in this field in recent years. The examples are structured along a common theme leading from the use of old and new natural materials with some intrinsic flame retardancy, via flame-retardant biopolymers and biocomposites, to using renewable sources for flame retardants with the objective of exploiting natural sources available as industrial waste streams. Natural flame retardants and adjuvants are highlighted, although the status of most may be assessed as merely motivating our vision. However, some of these visionary approaches such as discussing sustainable flame retardants for poly(limonene carbonate), a polymer synthesised from renewable waste and CO2, or wastewater phosphorus enriched micro algae as a sustainable flame retardant in polylactide are rather innovative when achieving a surprising high technological readiness level or providing a comprehensive solution for several urgent demands at once. Further, there are natural material streams finding their way into polymer mass production as fillers, adjuvants, polymers, or renewable educt sources. Natural substances originating from industrial waste streams open the door to sustainable solutions, because they are often available at low cost and avoid competition for land with farming or virgin forests. Aside from this main topic, remarks will address the recycling of flame-retarded polymeric materials; flame retardant vitrimers are mentioned as potential materials for recyclable thermosets. At the end of the day, only convincing property profiles will prevail both for exploiting renewable sources and circular design, including cost effectiveness, sufficient availability, consistent quality, processibility, mechanical properties, and flame retardancy. However, sustainability must not be merely tolerated as an additional demand, but should instead be recognized as a solution, because sustainability aspires to ensure our economic welfare now and in the future. T2 - Interflam 2025 CY - Royal Holloway, Egham, UK DA - 30.06.2025 KW - Biocomposites KW - Sustainability KW - Renewable KW - Bio wastefibres KW - Circular economy KW - Phosphorus flame retardants PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63671 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Fire Retardancy Featuring Sustainability: Food for Thought between Fake Fiction and Future N2 - Sustainability, or in other words, exploiting resources under the terms of environmental conservation for the economic welfare and prosperity continuously over time, would revolutionise the plastics industry were it to become predominant practice as a linear, fossil-fuel–based economy is switched to a carbon circular economy. Food for though is given by dint of a critical overview of the current trends and mainly by sketching our own key projects performed in the field of sustainable flame-retardant polymeric materials in the recent years. T2 - Interflam 2025 CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 30.06.2025 KW - Biocomposites KW - Sustainability KW - Renewable KW - Bio wastefibres KW - Fire Behavior PY - 2025 VL - 1 SP - 187 EP - 190 PB - Interscience Communications Ltd AN - OPUS4-63681 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chacon Castro, Jose P. T1 - Flame Retardant Polylimonen Carbonate: Material Innovation as a Game Changer N2 - Main message: This research seeks to understand and identify the most promising approaches to enhance the flame resistance of poly(limonene carbonate) (PLimC). Furthermore, the goal is to develop a PLimC-based material that incorporates halogen-free flame retardants (FRs) that are not only highly effective but also environmentally sustainable, contributing to the advancement of greener materials for safer use. Introduction The plastic industry depends on fossil-based materials, causing environmental concerns. PLimC, a sustainable polymer derived from limonene and CO₂ [1], offers a promising alternative. Its use in fire safe applications underscores the need to optimize its performance. This study evaluates halogen free FRs to identify and understand the most promising approaches to enhance PLimC’s flame resistance, aiming to improve fire safety and support eco-friendly material development. Experimental: This study has as its main task to conduct experimental evaluations to analyze the thermal properties, flammability, and fire behavior of each system. Pyrolysis, together with the evolved gases of the samples, were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with a FTIR spectrometer. The energy content was determined by using a bomb calorimeter. The flammability of the samples was assessed by the reaction to small flame tests such as the UL 94 burning chamber and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The burning behavior in forced flamed conditions was evaluated using the cone calorimeter. Results and Discussion: Thermal properties were first evaluated to gain a deeper understanding of the pure PLimC thermal stability and fire behavior. This analysis builds on PLimC's structural similarity to polycarbonate (PC), due to its carbonate group, and to polyolefins (PO), due to its aliphatic limonene-derived segment, providing insights into optimizing PLimC for sustainable, fire-safe applications. The initial results, which defined our starting point, showed that the LOI of PLimC was 17.2%, very close to that of PO such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) (~18%). In contrast, PC has a higher LOI of ~24%. Additionally, PLimC did not produce any char (0 wt.-%), similar to PO, whereas PC forms char due to its phenolic structures. The effective heat of combustion of PLimC, measured using bomb calorimetry, was determined to be 31.1 MJ/kg. This value is comparable to that of PC (~30 MJ/kg) but significantly lower than PO (~44 MJ/kg). These findings, which demonstrated similarities to both PO and PC, prompted the evaluation of various commercially available FRs at standard market concentrations. Four halogen-free FR systems were chosen for evaluation: 1. mixture of APP (20 wt.-%) + pentaerythritol (10 wt.-%) as an intumescent system [PLimC / APP / Penta], 2. mixture of the phosphorus compound PX200® (16 wt.-%) + PTFE (0.4 wt.-%) as antidripping [PLimC / PhosC / PTFE], 3. metal hydroxide ATH (50 wt.-%) [PLimC / ATH], and the potassium sulfonate salt Bayowet® (0.4 wt.-%) [PLimC / SulfS]. The concentrations were decided according to the standards used in the industry for polyolefins (system 1 and 3), the mixture polycarbonate / ABS (system 2) and polycarbonates (system 4). PLimC has the usual behavior of a non-charring specimen (fast burning and high peak of heat release). ATH proved to be the most effective flame retardant, achieving the biggest reductions in the effective heat of combustion (EHC) and total heat evolved (THE), as demonstrated by cone calorimeter measurements. Additionally, ATH achieved the highest increase in the LOI (17.1% —> 26.0%). With these results, we understood that the FRs commonly used with polyolefins (at concentrations standard in the industry) exhibit similar behavior in terms of flammability and flame retardancy when applied to PLimC. Although ATH has proven to be an effective flame retardant for PLimC, offering a sustainable solution due to its abundance, non-toxicity, and low environmental impact, we aim to explore bio-based flame retardants to further enhance the material’s sustainability. Since phytic acid salts [2] and lignin [3] have demonstrated flame retardant efficacy in polyolefins, we believe these compounds could also perform well in our system. Phytic acid salts are particularly promising due to their high phosphorus content—and in some cases, nitrogen—which promotes char formation and enhances flame retardancy. Lignin’s unique ability to promote charring could significantly improve flame retardancy, due to the fact that PLimC like polyolefins, lacks inherent char formation. By integrating these bio-based flame retardants, we move closer to developing a fully sustainable material that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, contributing to a greener and more resilient future. T2 - 20th European Meeting on Fire Retardant Polymeric Materials (FRPM2025) CY - Madrid, Spain DA - 03.06.2025 KW - Poly(limonene carbonate) KW - Sustainability KW - Halogen free flame retardants PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63397 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chacon Castro, Jose P. T1 - Flame retardant poly(limonene carbonate): material innovation as a game changer N2 - The global plastic industry relies on fossil-based materials, presenting significant environmental challenges. Poly(limonene carbonate) (PLimC), a sustainable alternative, is made from two renewable monomers: limonene oxide, derived from non-food sources, and CO₂, positioning it as a promising material for applications requiring flame retardants (FRs) to meet fire safety standards. Thermal properties were initially assessed to better understand the thermal stability and fire behavior of PLimC. This analysis builds on PLimC's unique structural characteristics: its carbonate group resembling polycarbonate (PC) and its aliphatic limonene-derived segment resembling polyolefins (PO). The initial results revealed similarities to both PO and PC, prompting the evaluation of various commercially available flame retardants (FRs) at standard market concentrations. Four halogen-free FR systems were chosen for evaluation, with the conclusion that ATH proved to be the most effective FR, decreasing the heat release rate and the total heat evolved. With these results, we understood that the FRs commonly used with polyolefins (at concentrations standard in the industry) exhibit similar behavior in terms of flammability and flame retardancy when applied to PLimC. While ATH has proven to be an effective FR for PLimC, we aim to investigate bio-based alternatives to further improve the material's sustainability. Phytic acid salts and lignin have shown excellent FR performance in PO, and we believe these compounds could achieve similar success in our system. Their integration could bring us closer to achieving a fully sustainable material that aligns with current environmental goals. T2 - EPF European Polymer Congress 2025 CY - Groningen, Netherlands DA - 22.06.2025 KW - Poly(limonene carbonate) KW - Sustainability KW - Flame retardancy KW - CO2 as monomer KW - Fire Behavior PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63668 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rockel, Daniel A1 - Sanchez Olivares, G. A1 - Calderas, F. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Two heads are better than one: Aluminum trihydroxide / phosphorous flame retardant combination in natural waste fiber biocomposites N2 - Future polymeric materials that replace fossil fuel-based engineering plastics demand the use of renewable sources as well as the implementation of key properties such as flame retardancy, processing, and mechanical properties. This study focuses on the combination of aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) and phosphorus-based flame retardants in compositable thermoplastic starch reinforced with sustainable multifunctional leather waste fibers. The flame retardants engender different flame-retardant modes of action, improving overall performance when combined. The partial substitution of ATH with phosphorous flame retardant allowed a reduction in flame retardant loading. Materials with 90 phr of ATH reached a limiting oxygen index of 31.5 vol.-% and a UL-94 rating of V-1, whereas the combination of 73 phr ATH and 7 phr of diphenyl ocytyl phosphate achieved a V-0 rating and a slightly reduced peak of heat release rate. This study demonstrates the potential of multicomponent systems implementing waste fiber–reinforced biocomposites. KW - Biocomposites KW - Flame retardancy KW - Phosphorous flame retardants KW - Synergism KW - Sustainability PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639084 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108938 SN - 0142-9418 SN - 1873-2348 VL - 150 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-63908 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chacon Castro, Jose P. A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Translating Flame Retardant Strategies: Analogy from Polyolefins and Bisphenol A polycarbonates to Poly(limonene carbonate) N2 - Poly(limonene carbonate)—PLimC—offers a novel sustainable alternative to traditional polymers, as it is derived from renewable limonene and carbon dioxide as monomers. Proposing PLimC as a future technical polymer for applications in electrical and electronic (E&E) devices, construction, and transportation, PLimC must meet specific fire prevention standards to be deemed suitable. Starting from the chemical structure of PLimC, strategies in analogy to flame retarded bisphenol A polycarbonates (PC), PC blends, and polyolefins (PO) are investigated to identify the most effective route to enhance the flame resistance of PLimC. This study utilized four halogen-free flame-retardant (FR) systems: APP + pentaerythritol (standard intumescent system in PO), a phosphorus flame retardant+PTFE as anti-dripping agent (used in PC blends), metal hydroxide ATH (widely used in PO), and potassium sulfonate salt (specific solution for PC). Applying these FRs at typical PC, PC blends, and PO loadings, we aim to understand their effect on PLimC and evaluated the different flame-retardant routes. Our experimental evaluations focused on the thermal properties, flammability, and fire behavior of each system. ATH emerged as the most effective, reducing the effective heat of combustion from 29.3 MJ kg⁻¹ to 18.6 MJ kg⁻¹ and the total heat evolved from 95 to 55 MJ m⁻². It also resulted in an increase in the limiting oxygen index from 17.1 to 26 vol.-% O2, along with a UL 94 HB40 rating. The intumescent system also exhibited considerable flame retardancy, highlighting the similarity of PLimC’s fire behavior to that of PO rather than PC KW - Poly(limonene carbonate) KW - Flame retardancy KW - Sustainability KW - Intumescent systems KW - Metal hydroxides KW - Sulfonate salts KW - Phosphorus flame retardants PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-643257 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111711 SN - 1873-2321 SN - 0141-3910 VL - 242 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-64325 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chacon Castro, Jose P. T1 - Flame retardant polylimonene carbonate: Material innovation as a game changer N2 - This research seeks to understand and identify the most promising approaches to enhance the flame resistance of poly(limonene carbonate) (PLimC). Furthermore, the goal is to develop a PLimC-based material that incorporates halogen-free flame retardants (FRs) that are not only highly effective but also environmentally sustainable, contributing to the advancement of greener materials for safer use. The plastic industry depends on fossil-based materials, causing environmental concerns. PLimC, a sustainable polymer derived from limonene and CO₂, offers a promising alternative. Its use in fire-safe applications underscores the need to optimize its performance. This study evaluates halogen-free FRs to identify and understand the most promising approaches to enhance PLimC’s flame resistance, aiming to improve fire safety and support eco-friendly material development. This study has as its main task to conduct experimental evaluations to analyze the thermal properties, flammability, and fire behavior of each system. Pyrolysis, together with the evolved gases of the samples, were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with a FTIR spectrometer. The energy content was determined by using a bomb calorimeter. The flammability of the samples was assessed by the reaction to small flame tests such as the UL 94 burning chamber and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The burning behavior in forced flamed conditions was evaluated using the cone calorimeter. Thermal properties were first evaluated to gain a deeper understanding of the pure PLimC thermal stability and fire behavior. This analysis builds on PLimC's structural similarity to polycarbonate (PC), due to its carbonate group, and to polyolefins (PO), due to its aliphatic limonene-derived segment, providing insights into optimizing PLimC for sustainable, fire-safe applications. The initial results, which defined our starting point, showed that the LOI of PLimC was 17.2%, very close to that of PO such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) (~18%). In contrast, PC has a higher LOI of ~24%. Additionally, PLimC did not produce any char (0 wt.-%), similar to PO, whereas PC forms char due to its phenolic structures. The effective heat of combustion of PLimC, measured using bomb calorimetry, was determined to be 31.1 MJ/kg. This value is comparable to that of PC (~30 MJ/kg) but significantly lower than PO (~44 MJ/kg). These findings, which demonstrated similarities to both PO and PC, prompted the evaluation of various commercially available FRs at standard market concentrations. Four halogen-free FR systems were chosen for evaluation: 1. mixture of APP (20 wt.-%) + pentaerythritol (10 wt.-%) as an intumescent system [PLimC / APP / Penta], 2. mixture of the phosphorus compound PX200® (16 wt.-%) + PTFE (0.4 wt.-%) as antidripping [PLimC / PhosC / PTFE], 3. aluminum trihydroxide ATH (50 wt.-%) [PLimC / ATH], and the potassium sulfonate salt Bayowet® (0.4 wt.-%) [PLimC / SulfS]. The concentrations were decided according to the standards used in the industry. Cone calorimeter results show that PLimC has the usual behavior of a non-charring specimen (fast burning and high peak of heat release). ATH proved to be the most effective flame retardant, achieving the biggest reductions in the effective heat of combustion (EHC) and total heat evolved (THE). Additionally, ATH achieved the highest increase in the LOI (17.1% to 26.0%). With these results, we understood that the FRs commonly used with polyolefins (at concentrations standard in the industry) exhibit similar behavior in terms of flammability and flame retardancy when applied to PLimC. Additionally, we aim to investigate bio-based flame retardants to further improve the sustainability of the material. Given that phytic acid salts and lignin have demonstrated effective flame-retardant performance in polyolefins, we consider these compounds promising candidates for application in our system. T2 - 6th Asia-Oceania Symposium for Fire Safety Materials Science and Engineering CY - Beijing, China DA - 16.10.2025 KW - Halogen free flame retardants KW - Poly(limonene carbonate) KW - Sustainability PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65015 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Loose, Florian T1 - End-of-Life Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Steelmaking - Accessing a C-Rich Residue Stream as Alternative Reducing Agent N2 - As one of the most energy and carbon consuming industries, steelmakers have an intrinsic interest in the development of technologies, reducing their carbon footprint as well as their carbon input. Besides generating new feedstocks from biomass or waste polymers, the valorization of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) waste streams seems to be extremely promising based on the high carbon content of carbon fibers (CF), chars from CFRP and even unprocessed CFRP waste of >92%, 98% and 79%, respectively. Although, reduction of environmental impact from those high-performance materials was achieved by the development of smart recycling solutions, the continuous truncation by mechanical treatment of CF over multiple cycles, analogous to paper fibers, and the large global CFRP waste stream of 62 kt/a demand for a sustainable management of end-of-life (EOL) CFRP. Recently it was demonstrated that CF can be used safely as reductant in pyrometallurgical processes in a downhole electric furnace without significant WHO fiber emission. Therefore we anticipate a huge potential of CF based materials as sustainable reductant for steelmaking in an electric arc furnace (EAF). To facilitate the applicability of EOL CFRP in steelmaking, we investigated the interaction between CF based materials and liquid metal phases, appearing during the process, on different scales. Particularly, we examined the reactivity, wettability and dissolution behavior of CF and CFRP concerning liquid slag and steel. The presented results indicate that understanding the impact of the microstructure of CF on their behavior is crucial for their application in EAF steelmaking without risking potential hazards by WHO fiber emission. Besides the detailed elucidation of structure reactivity relationships of CF, the broader impact on circular economy will be presented. T2 - ESTEP Workshop Resi4Future: Residue valorization in iron and steel industry - sustainable solutions for a cleaner and more competitive future Europe CY - Online meeting DA - 20.11.2020 KW - Carbon Fibers KW - Steelmaking KW - Electric Arc Furnace KW - Secondary Recources KW - Sustainability PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51613 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram A1 - Dauda, Risikat Oladoyin A1 - Reitz, Judith A1 - Misselwitz, Philipp A1 - Bassioni, Ghada A1 - Olonade, Kolawole Adisa A1 - van Damme, Henri A1 - Marangu, Josep Mwiti A1 - Dias Toledo Filho, Romildo A1 - Stürwald, Simone A1 - Schiewer, Gesine Leonore A1 - Hanein, Theodore A1 - Boru, Zamzam Bonaya A1 - Christensen, Randi A1 - Mack Vergara, Yazmin Lisbeth A1 - Hoelzel, Fabienne A1 - Apollo, Buregyeya A1 - Kyarisiima, Hope A1 - Thiedeitz, Mareike A1 - Suraneni, Prannoy A1 - Lorenz, Werner A1 - Osmani, Mohamed A1 - Lesutis, Gediminas A1 - Hanhausen, Rosa A1 - Lehmann, Steffen A1 - Madundo, Mariam Marco A1 - Bader, Vera Simone A1 - Rashdi, Rabia A1 - Landrou, Gnanli A1 - Hafez, Hisham A1 - Howe, Lindsay A1 - Kamashanju, Kabibi Charles A1 - Mohtashami, Nazanin A1 - Opoku, Richard Addo A1 - Erhahon-Nanna, Aisosa A1 - Mellinghoff, Zanele ED - Schmidt, Wolfram ED - Kamashanju, Kabibi Charles ED - Dauda, Risikat Oladoyin ED - Reitz, Judith ED - Misselwitz, Philipp T1 - Renewable, low-carbon materials and (infra)structures for inclusive and equitable human habitat - A position paper derived from the ReLive Habitat Scoping Workshop in August 2025 at the Xplanatorium in Hannover N2 - In order to create sustainable lifestyles and societies in the long term, sustainability goals must be balanced in terms of the environment, the economy and society. However, these targets are sometimes in conflict with each other and cannot be balanced without compromise. Today, the sustainability debate focuses primarily on balancing environmental/climate and economic targets. Social aspects tend to play a marginal role in the debate. This is also the case in the construction industry, which contributes significantly to global energy consumption and high grey and operational CO2 emissions worldwide. For this reason, research and politics have focused intensively in recent decades on ways to reduce climate emissions while maintaining economic efficiency. Historically, the focus in construction has been on structural safety. The classic credo in engineering was ‘more is more’. In the context of the climate debate, however, ‘less is more’ often applies, so that engineers and architects today face an economic conflict of objectives between the classic requirements for failure probability and the requirements for sustainable, resource-saving construction, which calls for completely new, much more holistic approaches to material development and structural design. The aim here is to build in a way that is both economical and climate-friendly without compromising structural safety, which is already a complex undertaking. However, the influence of the use of materials, architecture and construction technology on social aspects is often given much less consideration in the sustainability debate, even though enormous population growth and urbanisation processes are expected in the future, particularly in developing economic areas. This inevitably requires a stronger focus on the socio-economic aspects of construction, especially since, in contrast to many current metropolises, many conurbations in these regions will emerge in areas that are not yet densely populated. This provides freedom for innovative concepts that avoid the mistakes of the past and can consider all aspects of sustainability as largely equal. This freedom enables construction methods and urban concepts that use renewable, circular, local materials to create adaptable, accessible and liveable structures that are equitable, inclusive and fair for society. This position paper deals with the socio-economic footprint of materials and buildings. It was compiled by an interdisciplinary group of international experts and attempts to develop approaches for effective socio-economic life cycle analysis using similar concepts to those used in environmental life cycle analysis of products and buildings. In contrast to economic analyses or environmental life cycle assessments, which can work with reasonably available and clearly defined units to develop indicators, it is often impossible to determine units for socio-economic indicators, data is more difficult to obtain and there is a lack of benchmarks. During the discussions, a number of relevant parameters were developed, which can provide clearly quantifiable indicators for socio economic effects. These are related to largely available economic and employment data and consider the distribution of project contracts during implementation and the employment figures associated with project implementation. Particularly in the implementation of large-scale projects involving international investors and financial institutions, ‘(green) compliance value extractivism’ effects can occur, whereby partners from the donor countries are given preference over local project partners. This fraction of the loan flow directly abroad and can no longer serve the local economy to grow. This results in economic follow-up costs, even with lower project costs, which can promote social injustices. The higher the proportion of local companies and employees at engineering levels, the more fairly the construction project serves the local economy. T2 - ReLive Habitat-Scoping-Workshop: Renewable, Low-carbon Materials and (Infra-)structures for Inclusive and Equitable Human Habitat CY - Hannover, Germany DA - 13.08.2025 KW - Socio-economic footprint KW - Life cycle analysis KW - Sustainability KW - Urbanisation KW - Low carbon materials KW - Low carbon structures KW - Human habitat KW - Inclusiveness PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654742 DO - https://doi.org/10.26272/opus4-65474 VL - 2026 SP - i EP - 24 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-65474 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -