The ultimate research goal of the GREEN-MAP project was to enable a circular economy within the disposable medical device industry. The use of single-use, disposable medical devices is growing rapidly with uptake of laparoscopic, robotic, and other minimally invasive procedures. These devices and—importantly—their packaging, result in a surge of plastic waste from hospitals. Further, the existing plastics used are neither sustainable nor biodegradable. In this project, we developed novel bio-based, biodegradable polymers that can be used in medical device packaging, as well as for disposable medical devices/components.
Key innovative elements included:
1) use of bio-based monomers (vegetable oil), representing value added to existing biodiesel refining,
2) green chemistry approach, using enzymes and alternative, low-impact catalysts,
3) biodegradable polymer systems (copolymers and/or blends) with highly tunable properties (mechanical, rheological, thermal, biocompatibility and antibacterial).
By combining renewable, bio-based monomers with biodegradability via industrial composting and anaerobic digestion and bioconversion, we were able to bring a sustainable path for the disposable medical device market ultimately leading to a circular economy. In this way, the project helped to tackle major global societal challenges including climate change, plastic pollution, and waste management, while enabling further growth and advances in healthcare.
The specific research and innovation objectives of the GREEN-MAP project were:
1) Scouting potential bio-based, vegetable-oil (VO) derived monomers for polyester synthesis, representing value added to existing biodiesel refining,
2) Synthesizing a library of poly(butylene succinate/adipate/furanoate)/VO copolymers and other polyesters with tunable properties,
3) Preparing blends and composites of the new polymers with commercially available bio-based, biodegradable polymers and additives (e.g. curcumin, carvacrol, clay),
4) Studying the effects of copolymer and blend composition on processing and functional properties,
5) Preparing functional prototypes of medical devices packaging made of new materials,
6) Assessing the environmental impacts and socio-economic values of new green products and processes for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and to set new directions on the roadmap to improve hospital sustainability.
Accomplishing the ambitious goals of the project was possible by forming a new collaborative intersectional and international research network. Participation within the project directly lead to diversification of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia. The innovative and synergistic environment fostered by consortium, and especially the secondments lead to the development of new devices, new procedures, etc., representing potential added value of the collaboration network. International and intersectoral mobility guaranteed high level and effective sharing of new knowledge.
