Project
Fossil fuel-based aromatic chemicals, such as phenol, bisphenol A (BPA), BPA derivatives, and alkylphenols, are produced on a scale of millions of metric tons and are widely used in surfactants, flame retardants, and plastics. However, they also raise serious environmental and health concerns, particularly in applications that can lead to human exposure, such as detergents, furniture, textiles, or food packaging. Therefore, this multidisciplinary EU project aims to develop renewable compounds as environmentally friendly alternatives to current aromatic chemicals, in accordance with the “Safe and Sustainable-By-Design” (SSbD) framework. The project will focus on the molecular design of new compounds based on biological feedstocks as alternatives to substances of very high concern (SVHCs), through an innovative catalytic biorefining process of biomass by-products. New assessment methodologies (NAMs) will be used to evaluate the risks of the new chemicals with regard to human health and environmental toxicity. Machine learning models will be developed for the design phase and for the in silico impact assessment of the new chemicals. Successful products will be safe, comply with the principles of green chemistry, have a lower carbon footprint than their petrochemical counterparts, and have a calculated life cycle and socioeconomic impact. Formal SSbD reporting within RADAR will demonstrate the framework’s applicability and support EU policy. The selected RADAR chemicals will be scaled up to a scale of several kilograms and tested in industrial applications, while being compared to the functional properties of standard flame retardants, surfactants, or can coating materials. The RADAR data will enable the identification of substitution barriers in terms of supply, production costs, and performance. To achieve its objectives, the RADAR consortium involves all relevant industrial actors in the value chain, ranging from biomass refineries to chemical manufacturers and brand owners in end markets, supported by leading research institutions.
Coordinator
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN (Belgium)
Partners
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN (Belgium), UNIVERSITÄT DES SAARLANDES (Germany), RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN (Netherlands), DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET (Denmark), FEDERAL INSTITUTE FOR RISK ASSESSMENT (Germany), UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ (Austria), FUNDACIÓN UNIVERSIDAD SAN JORGE (Spain), APEIRON TEAM NV (Belgium), SCIENSANO (Belgium), SPECIALTY OPERATIONS FRANCE (France), ICL EUROPE COÖPERATIEF UA (Netherlands), GECCO BIOTECH BV (Netherlands), ALLNEX BELGIUM (Belgium), PARTICULA GROUP DRUSTVO S OGRANICENOM ODGOVORNOSCU ZA ISTRAZIVANJE RAZVOJ I PROIZVODNJU (Croatia), PROCTER & GAMBLE SERVICES COMPANY NV (Belgium), NORMEC OWS (Belgium), ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV (Belgium), UPM Biochemicals GmbH (Germany)
Responsibilities of Normec OWS
- Testing reference chemicals and lignin-derived phenolic compounds (LDPs) for biodegradability in relevant environments (soil, aquatic, marine)
- Conducting ecotoxicity tests (plants, worms, copepods, Artemia, radiolarians, and algae) on the reference chemicals and the developed LDPs
The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members. Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the CBE JU. Neither the European Union nor the CBE JU can be held responsible for them.