Areas of Knowledge

New edition of this conference aimed at plastic processing companies.

ALLOD Werkstoff (specialist in R&D in thermoplastic rubbers -TPR) and the GAIKER Technology Centre invite companies from the plastic processing sector to the fourteenth conference on "Innovation in Plastic Materials and Technologies". This latest edition will be held in the Edificio Barco on the Bizkaia Technology and Science Park (Zamudio) on 14th November.

Once again, the different talks will present the latest national and international trends in the plastics sector, along with the most innovative developments and advances in the fields of raw materials, processing and machinery for the plastic processing sector.

This conference is a benchmark for companies and suppliers in the sector, enabling them to get to know each other and build relationships. The event, which is free of charge, has a limited number of places.

Further information and registration: Viviana Avendaño (informacion@allod.com) or on the GAIKER website.

In-Cosmetics Global 2025 will be held in Amsterdam from 8th to 10th April.

For yet another year, GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), will be presenting its range of R&D&I services in the field of dermo-cosmetics and will share a stand with Dr. Goya Análisis and Anmar Clinical Services, like in previous years.  

In-cosmetics Global brings together the global cosmetics industry by driving innovation, fostering connections and putting forward ideas that shape the future of beauty. It is the ultimate platform to explore new ingredients, discover emerging trends and develop formulas that captivate consumers and meet their expectations.

Visit us at stand 12D50!

>> Further information

GAIKER develops and uses a variety of advanced tools to ensure precision, reliability and efficiency when analysing and monitoring biological parameters.

Our main tools:

We have developed laboratory-scale devices in our field of biosensing that can be adapted for verification and use in the field:

• Test portátiles basados en tecnología lateral flow (test rápido de antígenos) que permiten detectar analitos in situ, sin necesidad de equipamiento y por personal no cualificado.
• Sensores y dispositivos point of test basados en la amplificación de marcadores genéticos específicos utilizando técnicas ultra-rápidas de amplificación isoterma alternativas a la PCR.

We also use the following in our mass sequencing work:

• Metagenomic tools. We use mass sequencing technology to carry out metagenomic analyses by studying target genes (16S, ITS, etc.) in microbial communities.  

This tool allows us to identify and characterise microbial diversity in a wide variety of human, environmental and industrial samples, providing accurate, reproducible information on the composition and abundance of the microorganisms present.

Areas of application

GAIKER provides cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the specific needs of industrial sectors.

• Health
• Environment
• Food
• Cosmetics
• Bioremediation

More information: info@gaiker.es

The BIRPLAST project devoted to obtaining circular raw materials from plastic waste by applying intelligent separation and chemical recycling technologies has come to an end

The BIRPLAST project, in which GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, has participated, along with three other actors of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network, has come to an end this year. This research, led by the Sener Engineering and Technology Group, has enabled ten companies to join forces to carry out R&D in new technologies for the separation and chemical recycling of plastic waste to ensure the production of high quality circular raw materials.

BIRPLAST was launched in 2022 with the aim of generating a knowledge base to develop improved recycling processes in the eco-industry for various complex plastic waste streams - streams generated mainly during the treatment of other waste, such as light packaging, end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) - as the current state of the art does not allow the full potential of these resources and raw materials to be harnessed.

The project has drawn to a close with significant results related to advanced separation. In the case of light packaging waste, an improved material sorting step has been defined to match the composition of plastic fractions of limited recyclability and rejection, supported by the application of spectroscopic and data analysis techniques based on machine learning. Work has also been carried out on the use of plastic waste with some traces of metal from car shredders by means of smart separation techniques.

New pyrolysis processes have been developed for the chemical recycling of waste. One treats mixed plastics in which the waxes generated are reprocessed to offer lighter and more valuable products while reducing their chlorine content. The other processes plastics with biomass and obtains oils with low halogen content. New solvolysis processes have also been developed to recycle polyesters and polyurethane foams from car shredding. Gasification processes have also been adapted to work with different types of waste and with different degrees of humidity, using fluidised bed and jet spouted bed reactors to obtain and purify synthesis gas. Finally, the treatment of water generated during the pyrolysis and gasification processes and the use of pyrolysis oils as wood protection actors have also been defined.

Furthermore, for each result, such as smart separation processes or monomers, chemicals or oils obtained by solvolysis or pyrolysis, production efficiency and the contribution to the circular economy has been measured and the environmental assessment has been completed to determine the improvement resulting from the generation of these circular raw materials compared to the existing management of plastic waste that is not used.

BIRPLAST, which has been successfully completed and has fulfilled the objectives set, is a strategic industrial research project that has received funding from the HAZITEK 2022 programme (Exp. ZE-2022/00022), a programme to support the business R&D of the Basque Government's Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment.

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

Lithium is classified by the European Union as a key component in the transition away from fossil fuels towards clean energy. More and more electronic devices and electric vehicles are using lithium batteries. The increasing consumption of these devices means that these batteries need to be managed properly at the end of their useful life, they need to be recycled responsibly and the materials they contain need to be recovered to minimise their environmental impact.

GAIKER we research and develop technologies and processes to improve and make progress in the different stages of recycling lithium-ion batteries.

1. We develop different processes for the different stages of recycling lithium-ion batteries and other batteries with complex chemistries.
2. In the first stage, we discharge batteries so that we can deliver a safe, environmentally friendly process with a capacity and processing time in line with industry requirements.
3. We dismantle batteries and remove the electrodes in order to extract the black mass. We extract high purity black mass from different types of EV battery waste (modules, cells, production rejects) by mechanical (crushing and shredding) and physical (ultrasound) methods.
4. We have developed a process for automatically sorting battery cathodes by electrochemistry, prior to extracting the black mass. To this end, we applied artificial intelligence techniques to spectral information obtained by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). We have successfully tested different types of batteries (PAE, mobile, EV) with very good results.
5. We have looked at different physical ways of removing the adhesive covering the active material on the the anode and cathode: calcination, cryogenic grinding with a rotor mill and ultrasound.
6. We have investigated how to separate the carbonaceous fraction on the anode from the Li metal oxides on the cathode using both dry and wet techniques. We have tested a number of different options, particularly gravimetric techniques, and prioritised the concentration of metal oxides with minimum loss.
7. We have looked at separating the different types of materials contained in the shredded batteries after the black mass has been extracted.
8. We have recovered the following active materials from the black mass: Li, Co, Ni, Mn, etc. by means of hydrometallurgy, by optimising the different stages of selective leaching, precipitation and crystallisation.

All of these developments allow GAIKER to provide environmentally and economically positive solutions to industry to ensure the circularity of batteries at the end of their useful life.

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.

The European SOILUTIONS project will validate and optimise four value chains to produce at least five bio-waste soil improvers.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is one of the twelve partners participating in the European "Transforming underused bio-waste feedstocks into safe and effective market-ready soil improvers,SOILUTIONS" project whose objective is to reverse soil degradation by developing bio-waste improvers.

Around 70% of EU soils are degraded due to unsustainable management practices and the overuse of synthetic chemicals. This degradation is increasing and is endangering the fertility and productivity of the soil.

Therefore, in order to tackle this major problem and offer sustainable alternatives derived from bio-waste, using a circular economy approach, this project is funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and will run for three years (2023-2026).

During this time, four value chains will be validated and optimised to produce at least five bio-waste soil improvers. Living Labs will also be set up in Flanders, Valencia and Murcia to work directly with stakeholders in real-life environments and hence, ensure that the soil improvers developed address market needs, have positive environmental, economic and social effects and meet social expectations and legal regulations.

The SOILUTIONS project is currently working on the chemical, biological and toxicological characterisation of the bio-waste that will later be transformed into soil improvers, and a review is being carried out of the different regulations that affect placing these improvers on the market.

GAIKER is responsible for the safety study of the bio-waste that will be used as a raw material for the development of the soil improvers, and will ensure that they meet the established quality and safety requirements. This study includes the assessment of the potential toxicological risks of the bio-waste and soil improvers to be developed, both for human health and the environment, by means of in vitro and ecotoxicity tests. In addition, a metagenomic analysis will be carried out to study possible changes in the structure of the bacterial communities in the presence of the developed soil improvers. The results of this safety study will be integrated and used to select safe soil improver formulations, following a safe and sustainable design (SSbD).

About SOILUTIONS

The SOILUTIONS project is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and will run for 3 years from June 2023 to May 2026.

The 11 partners working on the project are: S.A. Agricultores De Lavega De Valencia (Coordinator - Spain), NuReSys (Belgium), CETENMA (Spain), GAIKER (Spain), Draxis Environmental (Greece), Greenovate! Europe (Belgium), Collaborating Centre On Sustainable Consumption And Production - CSCP (Germany), Las Naves (Spain), Entomo Consulting (Spain), Ghent University (Belgium), Fertiberia (Spain).

The SOILUTIONS project is funded by the European Union.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.