Clara Bilbao

We are involved in research into advanced chemical recycling technologies for complex plastic waste

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The CHEMCYCLE project is researching and developing advanced chemical recycling technologies that could recover around 285,000 tonnes of complex plastic waste each year.

GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is participating in the CHEMCYCLE project, whose main objective is to carry out industrial research applied to chemical recycling technologies (pyrolysis, solvolysis) with the potential to recover around 285,000 tonnes of plastic waste that is difficult to recycle in the Basque Country and is currently destined for landfill. This waste, which includes fragments of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), textiles, rejects from the paper sector and plastic fractions from urban and industrial waste, can be transformed into high-value raw materials for Basque industry.

Increasing European regulatory pressure to reduce waste disposal, the low recycling rate of certain complex plastic streams and the need to move towards a real circular economy, reducing dependence on fossil raw materials in various industrial sectors, are the main reasons that gave rise to this project in 2025, which is part of the HAZITEK programme to support business R&D. This is a strategic industrial research and experimental development project involving ten companies, including Tradebe (project leader), through its ELV recycling facilities at FRAGNOR, Amorebieta, along with two research centres in the Basque Science and Technology Network and the environmental cluster, ACLIMA.

CHEMCYCLE will focus on the research and development of advanced chemical recycling technologies for the recovery of complex plastic waste, most of which ends up in landfills or is destined for energy recovery. This will involve the study of improved and automated pre-treatments, as well as the development and optimisation of pyrolysis and solvolysis chemical recycling processes to obtain oils, solids and monomers that can be reused as raw materials. New knowledge will also be generated in upgrading and purification technologies for the chemical products obtained, adapting their physicochemical parameters to market specifications. Finally, the economic and environmental viability of the processes developed will be assessed.

GAIKER's work
GAIKER Technology Centre, with extensive experience in chemical recycling, will participate in the research and validation on a laboratory scale (TRL 3-4) of pyrolysis processes applied to complex plastic waste, as well as catalytic solvolysis processes for PET and polyurethane. It will also work on optimising the performance of the processes and improving the quality of the products obtained, with the aim of maximising their potential for valorisation and adaptation to market specifications.

Project partners
CHEMCYCLE (ZE-2025/00033) brings together 10 companies, 2 research centres from the Basque Science and Technology Network and the environmental cluster, ACLIMA, all working together to ensure an integrated approach from waste collection to its reintroduction into the market:
• Participating companies: Tradebe Amorebieta (coordinator), Zorroza Gestión, Koopera, Tamoin, Global Factor, Lucart, Eiforsa, Vimansa, Nypsa and Asfaltia.
• Technology centres: GAIKER and TECNALIA.
• Cluster: ACLIMA.
This strategic alliance, which integrates waste managers, engineering companies, manufacturers and research centres, fosters a sustainable and circular model in the recycling industry.

Support for Business R&D Aid Programme – HAZITEK Action co-financed by the Basque Government’s Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund 2021-2027 (ERDF)

Present at JEC WORLD 2026, the global event for composite materials

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GAIKER, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), will be at JEC WORLD, the leading international trade fair for the composites sector, which will be held at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre between 10 and 12 March.

GAIKER will attend the event once again this year, hand in hand with the Spanish Association of Composite Materials (AEMAC), the organiser of the Spain Pavilion.
The technology centre will have its own stand, where it will present its technological offer in the field of Sustainable Composites & Functional Polymers, and will also exhibit various demonstrators developed in the research projects in which it is currently involved.

The Spain Pavilion will feature 8 co-exhibitors representing the sector’s technological cutting edge:
AEMAC, AIMEN, FIBER PROFIL, GAIKER, POLYMEC, TALGO, Titania Ensayos y Proyectos Industriales, and ZIUR Composite Solutions.

JEC World is the only trade show that covers the entire composites value chain, from raw materials to final applications, fostering strategic networking between suppliers, manufacturers and decision-makers from around the world.

We look forward to seeing you in the Spain Pavilion, Hall 5, stand F135!

Further information

Invitation code: EXH1521313914

 

GAIKER and DIKAR develop ultralight butts using carbon fibre composites

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The Technology Centre and the Mondragón Corporation cooperative have been working together on various R&D projects since 2020 to develop high-performance, lighter and more accurate hunting and sports shooting rifles.

GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research Technology Alliance (BRTA) and DIKAR, S. Coop. have been working together on various R&D projects since 2020 to develop new advanced materials for sporting rifles. This work is part of the HAZITEK aid programme, funded by the Basque Government.

In the field of sport hunting, the choice of rifle is determined by three key factors: lightweight, which is essential to facilitate the user's movement over long days; precision, which requires stable materials with the capacity to absorb impact; and aesthetics, an increasingly important element.

To respond to these demands, DIKAR, which has extensive experience in the research of new materials applied to the sector, has worked with GAIKER, an expert in composite materials and their processing and transformation. As a result of this collaboration, hybrid guns based on carbon fibre composites have been developed over the past five years, as well as butts processed under different carbon composite moulding technologies, such as SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) and RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding).

Use of carbon fibre in these developments has led to significant improvements in terms of precision, structural uniformity and weight reduction, surpassing the performance of solutions currently available on the market.

Along the same line of innovation, the two entities jointly developed a new version of thermoset composite butts in 2024, which incorporate carbon SMC elements in their architecture. As a result, a new range of sporting rifles has been created, featuring an internal SMC carbon chassis, integrated with RTM-processed carbon butts, resulting in particularly lightweight, strong and high-performance structures.

This collaboration reinforces GAIKER and DIKAR's commitment to technological innovation and the development of advanced solutions.

About GAIKER
GAIKER is a technology centre devoted to research and the provision of innovative technological solutions for companies. Since it was set up in 1985, it has contributed to the technological development and competitiveness of the business sector through learning, development and subsequent transfer to customers of technologies related to its fields of specialisation: Sustainable Composites, Functional and Sustainable Polymers, Recycling and Circular Economy and Biotechnology.

About DIKAR
DIKAR, S. Coop. is a cooperative belonging to the Mondragón Corporation, made up of 7 brands devoted to the world of outdoor sports and specialised in the design and manufacture of high quality hunting and shooting rifles. With a solid track record in the sporting arms sector, the cooperative is characterised by its commitment to technological innovation, quality and excellence in customer service. Its products are marketed in demanding international markets in which precision and design are differential values.

The CÍCLICOM ecosystem will bring together the key players in the recycled plastics value chain at a one-day event

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  • The CÍCLICOM National Platform for Complex Plastics and Composites will be unveiled during the event.
  • CÍCLICOM is looking to add actors to its innovation ecosystem based around composite materials and complex plastics

On February 18, Madrid will host the closing event of the CÍCLICOM project, an innovation ecosystem that connects technology centers, companies, and associations in order to speed up the circular economy involving complex materials and plastics in the automotive, aeronautics, renewable energy, and electrical-electronic sectors. The event will showcase the main results of the CÍCLICOM project, raise awareness about the CÍCLICOM National Platform for Complex Plastics and Composites, and there will be presentations and round tables to discuss the challenges and opportunities for effectively connecting the supply and demand of recycled plastics in Spain. 

The meeting will bring together key players in the recycled plastic value chain (recyclers, transformers, industries that use plastics, sector-specific associations, public administrations and R&D&I actors linked to the circular economy) to discuss challenges, opportunities and new solutions that will make it possible to recover waste that is still going to landfill.

The event will be opened by María Pilar González Gotor, head of the Department of Institutional Promotion and Territorial Cooperation of the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI by its Spanish acronym), the entity that is funding the project through the Innovation Ecosystems programme as part of the National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and NextGenerationEU funds.

Luis Madariaga, Director of the Composites and Sustainable Functional Polymers Department at GAIKER, will then present the CÍCLICOM project as an innovation ecosystem for the circularity of composites and complex plastics. After him, Juan Antonio Gascón, Project Manager at Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster, will present the CÍCLICOM National Platform for Complex Plastics and Composites, which was devised as a platform to bring together actors from the production sector and facilitate access to state-of-the-art technological capabilities.

The event will continue with a presentation by Mercedes Santiago, a researcher and project manager at the CIDAUT Foundation, on the advantages and benefits of being part of the CÍCLICOM ecosystem for companies and organisations that want to improve the recovery of complex plastic waste.

Another highlight of the day will be the round table entitled “State of supply and demand of recycled plastics in Spain: how to facilitate the supply-demand connection”, moderated by Óscar Hernández, general manager of ANARPLA. Mikel Llona (CEO, CTO and co-founder of Birziplastik), Beatriz Castillo (Deputy Director of Waste and Plastics at Veolia) and Goio Borge (Project Manager at Zirkularte – Ecoinnovation) will share their views on current market needs.

After a break, the programme will focus on how the circular economy can be a decisive tool in the plastics industry. Pablo Ferrero, leader of the Biotechnology Cell at AIMPLAS, will look at the present and future challenges of the circular economy with regard to plastics. Then, Óscar Hernández will present the “Plastics Recycling Strategy” as a key initiative for strengthening the circular economy in Spain, underlining the importance of increasing the availability of quality recycled material for industry.

The business perspective regarding the recovery of complex plastics will be rounded off with a presentation by Juan Pablo Antillera, Technical Director of Waste Treatment at VALORIZA, who will share his company's experience and perspective on the circular economy for these types of materials.

Following this, a round table discussion on “Recovering composites and complex plastics: challenges and opportunities”, moderated by David Redondo, Head of Innovation & AI Architecture at VALORIZA, will feature Federico Sanmartín (Managing Director of ENERGYLOOP), Aitor Pablos (Business Development Manager of SBS) and Coralie Jehanno (Scientific Director and co-founder of Polykey), who will analyse the main barriers to and potential for development in the recycling of complex plastics.

Asier Ochoa de Eribe, Vice-President of Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster, will bring proceedings to a close. This event will mark the end of a project which, by promoting the circular economy, has boosted the competitiveness and internationalisation of companies from different productive sectors, fostered collaboration between technology centres, companies and administrations, and strengthened the value chains linked to recycling composite materials and complex plastics.

Almost 32 million tons of plastic waste are generated in Europe every year (European Commission). In Europe, the recycling rate for plastic packaging waste was 42.1% in 2023, according to Eurostat data, which was slightly lower than the rate in Spain (46.2%).

About the CÍCLICOM project

CÍCLICOM is an innovation ecosystem run by GAIKER (leader), Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster, AIMPLAS, ANARPLA, CIDAUT and VALORIZA Servicios Medioambientales, which connects technology centres, companies and associations to drive the effective circular economy of composite materials and so-called ‘complex plastics’. The project provides high added-value technical solutions for recovering and reintroducing waste that currently often ends up in landfills into the production cycle, while at the same time making it easier for companies to get access to quality secondary raw materials.

The ecosystem provides companies, particularly SMEs, with access to specialist knowledge, technological skills and a connected network of assets and services for training on, research on, testing and validation of technologies related to complex plastics and composite materials. The project also promotes the development of technology roadmaps, the training of professionals and the dissemination of best practices, thereby helping to bridge the gap between supply and demand for recycled plastics in Europe.

The project has been funded by the CDTI's Innovation Ecosystems programme, and the aim is to promote the introduction of the technological capacities developed by Cervera Technology Centres of Excellence into the economic and social environment, fostering their enhancement and contribution to the consolidation of innovative ecosystems The call is included in the actions foreseen in the National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), and receives funding through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism of the European Union's “Next Generation EU”.

Practical information and registration:

  • Date: 18/02/2026
  • Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m
  • Location: Espacio Eventize (María de Molina 41-43, 28006 Madrid)
  • Free registration using this form
  • Full programme at this link
  • More information about the CÍCLICOM project at: www.ciclicom.com

Micro and nanotechnologies for developing smart sensors

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GAIKER is involved in the SMARTµS project, which will develop electrochemical sensors based on advanced genetic detection techniques to identify bacteria and their antibiotic resistance genes.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), is working on the SMARTµS project (Smart sensing through micro- and nanotechnologies in industrial environments).

This project tackles different scientific-technological challenges linked to manufacturing microsystems aimed at increasing their application in Industry 4.0. Its aim is to generate knowledge on developing measurement and transduction principles that will ensure detection with high sensitivity and specificity, based on various physical principles. To do so, it will integrate micro- and nanostructures with different functionalities into the transducer, which will be created by advanced micro and nanofabrication technologies.

GAIKER has a wealth of experience in biotechnology (biodetection and biomedicine), nanotechnology and advanced materials, with applications for environmental sustainability, the agri-food sector and health. In the SMARTµS framework, it is leading task 2, which focuses on developing electrochemical sensors for detecting bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA), Listeria monocytogenes and Legionella spp.) by combining LAMP gene amplification and CRISPR-Cas technology. This approach is particularly important, as there are currently no sensors based on the technologies proposed for detecting these pathogens.

The sensors developed will primarily be applied in agri-food production (dairy industry, meat and fish processing, beverages, among others), and in promoting technology-based companies with expertise in microfluidics applied to in vitro diagnostics (IVD), biofunctionalisation of surfaces and flexible electrochemistry, among other strategic sectors.

The SMARTµS project is being carried out by GAIKER and seven other partners of the Basque Science and Technology Network, including the TEKNIKER Foundation (leader of the consortium), Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa (Fluid Mechanics Group) and the University of the Basque Country (Innovative Macromolecular Group, Dept. of Physical Chemistry). The project was launched last May, will last twenty months and is funded by the Basque Government through the ELKARTEK programme, which promotes collaborative research in strategic areas.

Subsidised by the Basque Government

Combining AI and advanced spectroscopy to improve automatic sorting of complex plastic waste

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The INTESCOP project will improve plastic waste sorting processes to get quality recovered fractions and boost the circularity of post-consumer plastics.

The GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA) is carrying out the project on circular economy applied to complex plastic waste based on smart identification with innovative spectroscopic analysis techniques, INTESCOP.

With the aim of developing new real-time identification technologies that enable highly efficient plastic waste sorting, according to its polymeric nature, this industrial research will offer a solution to the technological challenges of plastic waste sorting identified by the eco-industry.

INTESCOP will work for two years (2025-2027) to generate a technological knowledge base that will help to advance the design and development of new systems for the automatic sorting of complex plastic waste by combining AI with advanced spectroscopic analysis techniques: hyperspectral vision and terahertz spectroscopy.

GAIKER is an expert in recycling technologies and in the development and assessment of waste conditioning and recovery processes for subsequent use as secondary raw materials. This research will develop and assess, through laboratory pilot projects, AI-based models to be applied to the automatic identification and classification of multilayer and biodegradable plastics contained in the light packaging waste stream and technical plastics in the waste stream of electrical and electronic equipment, based on the analysis of their respective spectral fingerprints.

With INTESCOP, funded by Bizkaia Provincial Council within the 2025 Technology Transfer Programme, the plastic waste sorting processes implemented in the eco-industry of Bizkaia will be improved in order to obtain higher quality recovered fractions and increase the volume of post-consumer plastics that are reintroduced into the economic cycle as secondary raw materials.

Bizkaiko Foru Aldundiak finantzatu du proiektu hau, 2025eko Teknologia Transferentzia Programaren barruan / This project has been funded by Bizkaia Provincial Council within the Technology Transfer Programme 2025