BARDI

Context

High-performance plastics are typically derived from fossil-based aromatic monomers, as their rigid structures enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of polymers. Interestingly, similar valuable aromatic structures are also present in biopolymers such as lignin, the structural component of plant biomass that provides strength. This highlights the potential of plant biomass as a renewable source of biobased aromatic monomers for high-performance bioplastics. However, successful industrial implementation remains limited. For instance, bisphenols, a class of aromatic diols used in the production of polycarbonates (PC) and epoxy resins (ER), currently lack biobased alternatives at an industrial scale.

BARDI – Bio-based Aromatic Diols

The general objective of BARDI is to design safe and sustainable (Biobased) ARomatic DIols, in line with the SSbD approach, for the synthesis of high-performance polycarbonates, epoxy, and acrylate resins.

Sustainable by Design

Within BARDI, processes for producing renewable polymer precursors will be developed and optimized to enable the scalable production of aromatic diols from biomass. This includes the development of new thermodynamic models for distillation, catalytic process innovations, and comprehensive techno-economic analyses. Additionally, a life cycle assessment (LCA) will be conducted to quantify and minimize the global warming potential of the novel precursors.

Safe by Design

To prevent the development of regrettable substitutions, the BARDI project will employ New Approach Methods (NAMs) using fish models to assess the endocrine-disrupting potential and reprotoxicity of the novel precursors. These evaluations will establish structure–toxicity relationships, guiding the safe molecular design of aromatic diols.

Performance by Design

In the BARDI project, the potential of novel renewable precursors for producing polycarbonates (PC), acrylates (AR), and epoxy resins (ER) will be evaluated. This assessment aims to elucidate how lignin-derived functional groups influence material properties (structure–property relationships) and to enhance the performance of the resulting polymers.

Partners

This ICON- consortium consists of industrial partners Covestro, Allnex, and Soudal, and the knowledge partner KU Leuven. The consortium has complementary expertise, know-how and business activities to achieve the ambitious goals of BARDI. 

Impact

BARDI aims to meet the growing market demand for biobased, safer high-performance plastics that match or exceed the performance of their fossil-based counterparts. As a result, the project has the potential to stimulate new value chains, create jobs across multiple sectors, and accelerate the transition to a circular bioeconomy, fully aligned with the Flemish strategy on circularity.