Award-winning invention by scientists from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics
Employees of the Department of Materials Forming and Processing of the Faculty of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering: Grzegorz Janowski, BEng, PhD, Wiesław Frącz, BEng, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., and Łukasz Bąk, BEng, PhD, presented the invention "PHBV polymer biocomposite - used coffee grounds as a material used in the production of utility products," for which they received a bronze medal at the 16th INTARG® 2023 International Trade Fair of Inventions and Innovations.
The award-winning invention is being developed under the INNOSPIN 3/2023 grant, funded by the VIA CARPATIA Polytechnic Network. The research group of this project also includes representatives of the partner network universities: Janusz W. Sikora, BEng, PhD, DSc, ProfTit. of Lublin University of Technology, and Adam Tomczyk, BEng, PhD, of Bialystok University of Technology.
Project description
A significant problem of the modern world is the constantly increasing amount of plastic waste. These materials are mostly of petrochemical origin, are non-biodegradable and are recycled with varying success. PHBV (poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)), which belongs to the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) group, is a fully biodegradable polymer of natural origin. Due to its high manufacturing costs, it is rarely used in injection molding technology, and thus currently has little potential for commercialization. One method to reduce manufacturing costs and improve some of the properties of this material is to use used coffee grounds as a filler in a PHBV matrix. The authors of the solution have already carried out research on the manufacture, evaluation of mechanical and processing properties of PHBV biocomposite - used coffee grounds. The produced biocomposite can be used as a substitute for petrochemical plastics in injection and extrusion products due to its natural origin and biodegradability.
Achievements of the research group
The research group, which includes employees of the Department of Materials Forming and Processing of the Faculty of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Rzeszów University of Technology: Wieslaw Frącz, BEng, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., Grzegorz Janowski, BEng, PhD, Łukasz Bąk, BEng, PhD, specializes in the processing of polymer composites consisting of natural, biodegradable polymer matrices and natural and biodegradable fillers of plant origin. Research on biocomposites has been carried out by team members since 2014. The results of this work, which is also carried out under research grants and own research, have resulted in a total of several patent applications for the method of manufacture and product (biocomposites), so the team has experience in carrying out projects on topics falling within the related scope and preparing patent protection for such products. In their activities, the researchers are looking for application solutions, which is confirmed by four patent applications for the application use of their biocomposites. The researchers also won a gold medal for another biocomposite presented at the 15th INTARG® 2022 International Invention and Innovation Fair.
The team's employees are in constant consultation with the industrial community, which is supported by numerous recommendations regarding their research area and the developed solutions. The team jointly implemented 2 research grants, having the nature of pre-implementation R&D work within the framework of the Innovation 4.0 Incubator project and from the Podkarpackie Innovation Center. Currently, further work in this area is being carried out.
Potential of the Department
The Department of Materials Forming and Processing has modern equipment that allows the manufacture and processing of composite material in reflection of real industrial conditions. This reduces the time to raise the technological readiness level of the developed solutions and may result in a faster path to commercialization of the results. With extensive apparatus facilities, studies can be carried out to produce biocomposites, determine their processing capabilities and evaluate processing properties.
