Objective
Faced with climate change and environmental pressures, the fossil-based chemical industry that evolved over the past 100 years must reinvent itself – fast. The industry of tomorrow must be circular, relying on recycling, biomass, and carbon dioxide. Yet, this transition is daunting: today’s chemical industry is built on tightly integrated steps across multiple scales. Decisions at the molecular level, such as the choice of a monomer or solvent, shape not only the process design but also supply chains and their environmental impact across the life cycle. Now, we must develop such highly complex processes faster than ever before. This calls for a radical new way of process development.
DISC3LAB will develop this approach and demonstrate it for the first time for a novel solvent-based recycling process for high-value engineering plastics. Specifically, DISC3LAB will develop an autonomous process discovery framework that integrates molecular, process, and system scales. Advanced modelling will be coupled with automated microfluidic spectroscopy experiments in a closed-loop workflow to discover recycling processes for mixed plastic wastes. Thermodynamic models combined with machine learning will predict poorly specified waste mixtures and quantify uncertainty, while targeted automated experiments will refine models and validate the discovered process. The multi-scale approach will ensure that the identified solvent-based recycling process aligns with current and future supply chains, enabling a chemical industry operating within the planetary boundaries.
The outcome will be a validated solvent-based recycling process for high-value engineering plastics, ready for scale-up. Beyond, DISC3LAB will deliver a generalizable methodology for the autonomous discovery of chemical processes, accelerating the transition towards a circular chemical industry based on waste, biomass, and CO2.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.