KiK – Bringing MADSCAN® to the market
Early 2024, we sent out a newsletter announcing the KiK project that Veridis will work on with Resolved, Stiphout Plastics and Chill, co-funded by the European Union and the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Limburg via an OpZuid subsidy.
But, what is the KiK project, what will we develop during it and why is it important for building a circular economy for plastics?
Why do we do the KiK project?
Circularity is about using materials, after their initial use, again and again for the same or similar applications. For plastics, there is still much to be gained there! After all, only ~2% of plastic waste is reused for high-quality applications.
This is not only due to the complexity of waste streams or the availability of recycling methods, but to a large extent also to the lack of insight into the composition and quality of input and output streams.
Understanding the composition of plastic samples makes it possible to improve the recycling process and use recyclate in more high-quality and valuable end products. However, available methods fail to provide representative measurements for industrial-scale plastic recycling. This leaves recyclers and customers in the dark and the majority of material ends in low-value applications!
Veridis Technologies offers the solution: MADSCAN®! Veridis MADSCAN® is an innovative stand-alone measuring instrument with which a representative measurement can be made quickly and easily for a large batch of plastic material. This allows an industrial site to reliably analyse the composition of a batch of mixed plastics with a single measurement.
Veridis started developing MADSCAN® several years ago and has since proven it in the lab. During the KiK project, Veridis works with end users and knowledge partners to bring MADSCAN® into the field, and further develop and validate its impact for recyclers. At the end of the project, the MADSCAN® will be market-ready.
KiK in the Southern Netherlands
The plastics recycling sector in the southern Netherlands is large and innovative. MADSCAN® facilitates this sector to make a more environmental and economic impact in the southern Netherlands.
A survey among recyclers showed that with MADSCAN®, the recycling process can be made significantly more efficiently with as much as 50% of plastic material potentially being sold at a higher price after recycling.
Planet
This results in an enormous environmental impact. It provides a large CO2 benefit by avoiding the production of virgin plastics while boosting the raw material transition and the circular manufacturing industry by meeting the high demand for high-quality recyclate.
Profit
MADSCAN also creates economic impact in the southern Netherlands. The use of MADSCAN® in the processes of recyclers results in lower costs for testing, increased process efficiency and a higher turnover by selling higher quality recyclate.
In addition, the production and sale of MADSCAN® will create turnover, particularly in North Brabant, at Veridis itself and production partner Mecal. Various recyclers have indicated a strong interest in MADSCAN® and several already intend to purchase and implement MADSCAN in their business process.
People
In addition to these contributions to “planet” and “profit,” the project also contributes to “people. Social impact is realised by creating jobs at Veridis itself and production partner Mecal in North Brabant. Furthermore, this project results in the skills development of Limburg students through the involvement of CHILL in the validation of the MADSCAN®.
The project also contributes to the objectives of the OPzuid program because 3 South Dutch SME partners are supported in their development by this project and further development of a technological innovation from TRL 6-9.
Veridis is a partner in the ‘Quality in Plastic Recycling (KIK) project, co-funded by: