Archives for September 2025

The second phase of the ONTZHI project was presented in Zamudio, following the progress made in the first phase: ONTZHI-II. The project is aimed at developing innovative technologies to allow hydrogen to be stored and transported in a safe, sustainable and competitive manner, which will be an essential step in the transition to a decarbonised economy.

GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA) is involved in this project, which focuses on responding to one of the major strategic challenges of the energy transition: deploying infrastructures to ensure the safe and efficient handling of hydrogen, which is considered to be a key energy vector for reducing emissions and moving towards climate neutrality.

ONTZHI-II is funded by SPRI, through the Elkartek programme, and has an overall budget that will allow it to carry out its work between 2025 and 2027. During this period, it is expected that key milestones will be achieved, such as the validation of advanced coatings, the construction of laboratory-scale demonstrators and the development of a predictive computational model to facilitate the transfer of results to the industrial sector.

While hydrogen has great potential as a clean energy source, it also poses challenges that currently limit its deployment. These include the embrittlement of steel and welds in pipelines and tanks, the lack of in-depth knowledge about the interaction of hydrogen with different materials, permeation and leakage in storage systems, and the need for composite tanks that are both competitive and sustainable.

ONTZHI-II will investigate new solutions to overcome these barriers, such as:
• Advanced coatings on metals to prevent embrittlement and reduce leaks.
• Developing sustainable and recyclable composite materials for mobility applications.
• Modelling and characterisation methods capable of predicting how hydrogen will interact with materials.

This project also aims to build two laboratory-scale demonstrators: a barrier coating against hydrogen permeation and a type IV tank made of sustainable composite materials, intended for mobility and designed for reuse.

A top-flight consortium
ONTZHI-II is a consortium made up of six strategic partners: Tecnalia, which is leading the initiative, together with the Basque Country Mobility and Logistics Cluster, GAIKER, Cidetec, Tekniker and Multiverse Computing. The collaboration between these entities will combine cutting-edge capabilities in research, industry, advanced manufacturing and computing, making it possible to tackle the main hydrogen technology-related challenges.

GAIKER
GAIKER's work within this project will focus on research into reactive thermoplastic or bio-based resins for use in both interior linings and composite tank casings intended for storing hydrogen in a gaseous state for mobility applications. The technology centre will use 3D printing, RTM and taping technologies to focus its efforts on developing hollow structures that can be adapted to the available space and that also facilitate end-of-life and recycling by using materials of the same type throughout the tank structure.

The Basque Country, a strategic region for hydrogen
The choice of the Basque Country as the headquarters of ONTZHI-II is no coincidence. The region has a robust industrial base, a top-level scientific and technological infrastructure, and an energy strategy committed to decarbonisation. These factors make it an ideal environment for developing and scaling up hydrogen-related solutions and increasing the competitiveness of its companies in an expanding global market. The launch of ONTZHI-II will strengthen the Basque Country’s position in terms of creating a leading hydrogen technology ecosystem. The project will help provide safer solutions for critical infrastructures, which will be more sustainable as a result of recycling and reusing materials, and more competitive by promoting industrialisation and positioning local companies in the hydrogen value chain.

The E-OilÉ project, which is funded under the Horizon Europe programme, has been launched to develop pioneering single-dose packaging solutions that are safe, sustainable and biodegradable for fatty products in the food and cosmetics sectors.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is leading the E-OilÉ project, which is funded under the Horizon Europe programme and began last June, with the aim of tackling one of the most persistent environmental challenges today: plastic packaging waste. This research involves 15 partners from across Europe working to develop biodegradable, functional packaging specifically designed for fatty products such as olive oil, sauces, body oils and cosmetic serums.

Single-dose packaging is in high demand by consumers as it is safer and more hygienic, but it poses significant challenges in terms of conventional end-of-life (EOL) recycling systems, due to its small size, the complexity of the materials used and the risk of contamination of other recycled plastic streams. E-OilÉ is looking to provide innovative solutions by developing biodegradable alternatives that comply with existing standards and guidelines, ensuring that they do not compromise biodegradability or hinder existing recycling processes.

Traditional plastic packaging has a high environmental cost as it contributes to landfill, marine pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Even today's bioplastics often fall short of expectations: they degrade too slowly under real-world conditions, do not meet the requirements for food-grade applications, or rely on raw materials imported from outside Europe.

E-OilÉ establece un nuevo estándar aplicando los principios de sostenibilidad desde el diseño (SSbD- Safe and Sustainable by Design) a lo largo de todo el ciclo de vida del producto. El proyecto utilizará materias primas renovables, en este caso derivadas de subproductos de la oliva, para crear poliésteres biodegradables y mezclas a base de polisacáridos, diseñadas para cumplir con exigentes requisitos funcionales y medioambientales.

Los nuevos materiales serán validados en procesos industriales de fabricación de envases como extrusión soplado de films, moldeo por inyección y termoformado, y los prototipos serán sometidos a pruebas completas de biodegradabilidad, evaluaciones de riesgos medioambientales y de salud, y estudios de aceptación por parte de los consumidores, para garantizar su aptitud para entrar en el mercado.

Moreover, this project will use digital twins and AI-based tools to predict degradation performance, accelerate optimisation, and reduce testing costs, thereby helping to speed up the implementation of sustainable packaging innovations.

E-OilÉ is looking to provide safe, low-cost, market-ready alternatives that meet both performance and sustainability requirements.

“In the E-OilÉ project, we are rethinking the concept of packaging. It is not only about how it is manufactured, but also about its performance against complex products such as oils, its ability to biodegrade in real environments and how to make use of by-products that are readily available in Europe from olive-related agricultural activities to develop smarter, safer, more sustainable materials that will drive a circular future", said María José Suárez (GAIKER), the project’s coordinator.

GAIKER in E-OilÉ
GAIKER, a technology centre that specialises in sustainable materials, waste recovery and innovative solutions involving plastics and coordinates the E-OilÉ project, will be responsible for validating biodegradable materials and packaging at a functional level, and redesigning them prior to industrial scaling. Following Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing (LCA and LCC) methods, it will also study the sustainability and circularity of the proposed biodegradable packaging solutions and their potential recyclability.

Project partners
The E-OilÉ project will last for 4 years and involves representatives across the entire value chain of the project: material manufacturers such as NOVAMONT SPA and OIMO BIOPLASTICS, S.L.; packaging manufacturers such as UGRINPACK KFT, CTLPACKGROUP S.L. and PROPAGROUP SPA; end users from the food and cosmetics sectors such as DESMELIS ATHANASIOS and AHAVA, and companies responsible for social impact and the communication, dissemination and exploitation of results such as HOLOSS, ILSI and PNO INNO INNOVATION. Other companies supporting the industrial partners in the technical developments of E-OILÉ include: GAIKER (characterising and improving the performance of materials, LCA, LCC and recyclability), ITENE (processability and characterisation, and leading SSBD activities), CNTA (validating products packaged in new materials), DTI (biodegradation and end of life) and NORCE (AI modelling of biodegradability processes).

“Designed to be biodegradable, created to be sustainable”.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101177771.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Article written by Rafael Miguel – Recycling and Circular Economy Market Manager at GAIKER – See original

Europe is facing a major problem regarding its dependence on key raw materials, as its economies are highly exposed geopolitically, thereby posing a serious risk to the continent's security, autonomy and economic viability.

The availability of certain key minerals and the ability to process them is becoming a key issue in areas such as energy transition and other important sectors such as electronics, energy, industry, aeronautics and the automotive industry. These minerals are essential for manufacturing batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and other technological products and it is estimated that there will be a 20% shortfall in supply to meet global demand by 2035.

In view of this expected increase in demand in the coming years and in order to reduce its heavy dependence on foreign sources, the European Union approved new regulations on Critical Raw Materials in March 2024. The aim is to ensure a more stable and diverse supply of these minerals, encourage recycling, and support research into using them more efficiently and finding alternatives.

GAIKER is committed to supporting companies in the transition towards a circular economy, and has taken a holistic approach towards recycling, recovering and valorising essential mineral resources, by optimising recycling techniques, improving the efficiency of recovery processes and exploring new ways to valorise materials.

Among its most notable achievements, the Technology Centre has developed advanced processes for recovering valuable minerals from various types of industrial and post-consumer waste, such as waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). An example of this is its participation in the CIRIAMET project – smart technologies to promote the circularity of metals in the new generation of end-of-life vehicles (ELKARTEK Programme run by the Basque Government, 2024–2025).

The Centre also has experience in developing and optimising hydrometallurgical processes aimed at recovering strategic raw materials and high added-value metals. It uses its in-depth knowledge of leaching, separation and purification technologies to design and tailor solutions that make it possible to extract critical metals from industrial and electronic waste and secondary streams, helping to drive the circular economy and reduce dependence on primary raw materials.

Moreover, GAIKER has a wide range of equipment for both separating and classifying materials using physical and mechanical processes. It has analytical equipment and advanced real-time identification systems and software tools to pre-process signals and train and validate AI-based predictive identification models.

Its multidisciplinary team combines advanced capabilities and laboratory- and pilot-scale experimentation and process simulation, enabling it to tackle R&D and technology transfer projects across the entire hydrometallurgical recovery value chain. Its areas of expertise include developing selective leaching systems using conventional and alternative chemical agents, applying precipitation, ion exchange and solvent extraction technologies, and the integral recovery of the resulting liquid and solid streams.

Likewise, GAIKER is actively working on research into more sustainable and environmentally friendly processes, incorporating less aggressive reagents. These capabilities have put the Centre in the privileged position of collaborating with companies and administrations to design and implement innovative processes aimed at recovering strategic metals such as cobalt, nickel, lithium, rare earth elements and other essential elements for the technology, energy and electric mobility sectors.

GAIKER’s Sustainable Composites & Functional Polymers Area coordinates the European projects ECORES WIND, BIOSAFIRE and E-OILÉ.

The Sustainable Composites & Functional Polymers Area at GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is leading three technological development and innovation projects funded by the European Union within the Horizon Europe programme. These projects are Ecores Wind, Biosafire and E-oilé, approved under the HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-02, HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01 and HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01-TWO-STAGE calls, respectively.

The “Novel Circular Resin Development for Composite Structures in Wind Energy Applications” project, ECORES WIND, began in 2024 with the aim of developing new circular resin systems for composite materials to improve the circularity and minimise the environmental footprint of wind energy systems throughout their life cycle. It aims to explore alternatives that facilitate greater circularity, extended lifetime and efficient decommissioning.

The “Development and Manufacture of New, More Sustainable and Safer Materials Using Biobased Functionalised Additives Based on Lingin and Tannins to Improve Fire Resistance” project, BIOSAFIRE, was also launched this year, with the aim of developing a new generation of bio-based, safe and sustainable flame retardants to replace current toxic alternatives with high performance and lower environmental impact ones.

Finally, the “Sustainable End-of-Life Routes for Single-Use Monodose Packaging for Oily Products” project, E-OILÉ, started at the beginning of June this year. This research aims to address biodegradable, safe and sustainable packaging solutions. The aim is to develop a cost-effective alternative to replace existing monodose packaging made of non-biodegradable fossil-based materials in flexible and semi-rigid formats, in accordance with the SSbD framework.

GAIKER’s work on the projects

In addition to leading these three four-year projects, GAIKER will carry out various activities focused on the transition to sustainability in different areas. In ECORES WIND, it will work on the characterisation of the new materials to be developed in the project, as well as on the manufacturing processes, and will be in charge of scaling up the recycling processes of the new resins that are developed.

In BIOSAFIRE, GAIKER will study the compatibility of the new bio-based flame retardants developed with thermostable matrices. GAIKER will also manufacture some of the parts and will be in charge of their characterisation in order to assess the fire properties of these new sustainable additives. Thanks to its extensive experience in fire performance, it will carry out various fire tests in accordance with the regulations required for each sector and the biotechnology department will carry out other tests included in the SSbD (Safe and Sustainable by Design) framework to determine the safety of the products to be developed.  

In the E-OILÉ project, the Technology Centre will be in charge of validating biodegradable materials and packaging at a functional level, as well as redesigning them prior to industrial scale-up.  Following Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing (LCA and LCC) methods, it will also study the sustainability and circularity of the proposed biodegradable packaging solutions and their potential recyclability.

GAIKER has an extensive track record as a participant in international consortia, which allows it to establish alliances and collaborative environments that guarantee its presence in European R&D programmes. The current coordination of these three projects and its historical participation in more than 160 is proof of this.

These projects have received funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nos. 101178218, 101148066 and 101177771.

The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.