Onderzoeksprojecten

Brandvertragend textiel in 2015: hoe regelgeving, ecologie en economie verzoenen?

Normen voor brandvertraging en ontvlambaarheid worden steeds strenger omwille van het hoge aantal slachtoffers en de schade veroorzaakt door brand. Het toevoegen van vlamvertragers aan textiel is dan ook van essentieel belang. Het gebruik van brandvertragers wordt echter sterk aan banden gelegd om diverse redenen: strengere Europese regelgevingen (REACH, CLP), strengere eisen in het kader van ecolabelling (European Ecolabel, Oeko-Tex® 100…). Het spreekt voor zich dat de sector de alarmklok luidt en met hoogdringendheid vraagt om alternatieve producten en behandelingen te ontwikkelen die aan alle gestelde eisen voldoen.

Durable Biobased Plastics

Toepassing van biogebaseerde kunststoffen in extrusieprocessen voor duurzame eindproducten

Een succesvolle omschakeling van oliegebaseerde polymeren naar biopolymeren vereist dat de (mechanische) eigenschappen van de eindproducten kunnen wedijveren met die van synthetische polymeren en dat de stabiliteit van de producten over een langere periode kan worden gegarandeerd.

Development of a controlled degradation of synthetic or biopolymer textiles for special applications

The degradation of textile materials in carbon dioxide is an interesting route to resolve the end-of-life issues of a number of applications. In the case of agro- or geotextiles it is not always feasible to recover or remove the products in a quantative manner. For these applications natural fibres can be used, although their processing into specific structures is not so easy. Another alternative is the use of biopolymers but these materials do not always have the appropriate (bio)degradation profile either.

Enzymatic functionalisation of collagens for medical applications

The aim of this precompetitive project is to develop new methods for the enzymatic functionalizing of native collagen structures and to use these structures as scaffolds in tissue engineering and drug delivery systems.

Development of test methods to determine phthalates in textiles

The coating of flexible PVC’s is an important industrial activity in the Belgian production of floor coverings, cables, tarpaulins, (car) seats, dashboards, sun visors, clothing and tapes. PVC owes its economic importance to its durability (very high stability), the relatively low costs and large production runs.

With the SmartNets project, Centexbel wants to study SME networking for the development of new products. We work together with the Belgian partners LAMPE TEXTILES and DEVAN CHEMICALS and several other European partners.
SmartNets is a European FP7 project.

Research for the development of fully renewable thermoplastic bio-composites

Europe has set forward a new goal: the development of composites based on (nearly) 100% renewable products. This implies that both the fibre reinforcement and the matrix fraction (thermoset or thermoplastic) have to be bio-based.

Imagine a lamp that is not fixed to the ceiling, but that can be designed into any shape, or even blend into the surroundings. This would give a tremendous design freedom. Think of curtains that emit light to mimic the natural, daytime situation, children with illuminating jackets to safely bike home from school, or even bandages that shine light on the body to treat skin diseases or for infrared massage.

The aim of the Bacteriosafe consortium is to construct, test and develop a unique active wound dressing, which incorporates novel colourimetric sensor and active therapeutic processes for detecting and counteracting pathogenic bacteria in wounds.

Assembly of an artificial ovary combining isolated human ovarian follicles, fibrin and a textile pocket

The objective of this project is the development of a 3D biodegradable matrix allowing the graft of autologous ovarian tissue or isolated follicles in patients with impaired fertility following a gonadotoxic treatment. This biofunctional fibrin-based matrix will limit the follicular loss due to post-transplant ischemic stress and will help to induce the formation of an extracellular ovarian-like matrix by promoting cell migration, cell proliferation and vascularization.

In the CleanCloth project, we propose to develop a superior cleaning cloth with constant and continuous antibacterial effect, ensuring that no bacteria is left in the cloth and making bacterial re-growth impossible, without need for special and time-consuming hygiene procedures. This will be accomplished by a unique technology with antibacterial agent integrated into the microfiber of the cloth. The advances in this technology will allow significant reduction of cross-contamination and bacterial regrowth. Infectious diseases arising in the home setting are a significant concern.

CILAB (Composite Innovation LABoratory) is a 4 years project dedicated to innovation in the field of composite materials and structures including research, development and improvement of manufacturing processes (eg. liquid resin infusion, vacuum assisted processes, hybrid composites - continuous fibres and short fibres - with thermoplastic matrices, braided structures, ...), materials (eg. bio-composites), non destructive inspection techniques (eg.

Vezelversterkte kunststoffen (of composieten) worden wereldwijd in steeds meer producten toegepast.

Currently the world of polymeric composite materials is exclusively based on fossil derived components. This fact represents a strong issue, as the non-renewable global oil resources are being exploited year after year, also as a consequence of the ever growing demand for plastics engineering materials. As a concrete answer to the increasing volumes of building and construction materials processed and transformed by industry in almost all sectors, renewable resources need to be exploited in order to reduce the depletion of oil reservoirs, and the associated ecological issues deriving, provided they can grant quality standards comparable with the currently available materials.

The basic objective of the project is to develop new high end textile products, based for 100% on natural fibres and bio-based or biopolymers. The development of such products perfectly fits with the European objectives to fulfil the Kyoto protocol and to reduce the emission of “Green House Gases” by 2020 with at least 20 %, thanks to the reduced use of non renewable materials resources based on fossil fuels.

Envimedia/ Platform for health and environment

Open platform integrating lasers, sensors, technological components and systems for the detection, measurement and recognition for air quality monitoring, noise pollution monitoring, healthcare monitoring of the elderly at home, imaging and medical care.