In the Netherlands, many people work passionately with biomass as a raw material. They work on innovations, improve (production) processes or create policy for a fossil-free future. In this mini-series we highlight what drives them to work on the transition to a sustainable world.
In a recent interview with Biomassafeiten, Jaap Timmers, director of Circulus BV, shared the mission and vision of his company, which is committed to a circular economy. Circulus offers governments and companies the opportunity to contribute to a sustainable future by converting residual flows into valuable raw materials.
Jaap Timmers is a biologist by training, did his PhD research in Wageningen. After that he went into business. There he mainly looked at how he could convert bio-raw materials into bio-energy.
“We found then, and we still find now, that part of that biomass is so good that you have to find other applications for it. For example, to make biogas from it. We then delved into the matter. How can we make biomass suitable for fermentation and mechanically reduce a large part of the grass. This without it costing too much energy, so that you don't have to put more energy into it than you get out. We started contacting a large number of contractors who are involved in the maintenance of the roads. The verges are good for biodiversity, but have to be maintained for traffic safety. Traffic safety is actually the only reason why the grass is removed.”
Jaap explains that the goal of a circular economy is to have residual flows provide added value. “Many residual flows in our society are not yet being used optimally,” he says. “Our special production process allows these residual flows to be converted into new products, so that they are no longer seen as waste, but as new raw materials.”
From Grass to Reflector Post
Every year, the province of Gelderland has to spend considerable amounts of money to get rid of the mowed roadside grass. At the same time, the province buys reflector poles that are placed along the roads, approximately every 150 meters. These poles play a crucial role in road safety by improving the visibility of the road, especially at night and in bad weather.
The innovative idea of manufacturing these reflector posts from the roadside grass supplied by the province itself offers an elegant solution to both challenges. The roadside grass is processed and forms 65% of the composition of the reflector posts. The remaining 35% consists of waste plastic that would otherwise be incinerated. This not only means that the grass is given a new purpose, but also that less plastic is incinerated, which reduces the emission of harmful substances.
“From these biobased materials we can produce different composite materials,” Jaap explains. “We offer square, round, rectangular and tongue and groove profiles. Thanks to the continuous extrusion process we can produce biobased product shapes in variable lengths.”
Jaap: “The sustainable nature of this project goes beyond just production. Reflector poles are sensitive to collisions and are regularly damaged. When this happens, the contractor is obliged to return the damaged poles. These poles are then reprocessed and converted back into new reflector poles. This creates a circular chain in which materials are reused over and over again, which reduces the need for new raw materials and minimizes waste.”
Requirements for the grass
Roadside grass, unlike pasture grass, is considered a waste stream due to its contamination with rubber particles, for example. This makes it unsuitable for reuse as cattle feed or compost. However, by converting roadside grass into useful products such as reflector posts, a valuable application is created from an otherwise problematic waste stream.
Processing roadside grass involves specific requirements. One of the most important conditions is that the grass must be dry, because otherwise it is inefficient to process it due to the high water content. Contractors who supply the grass therefore choose locations where the grass can dry well. This ensures that contaminants such as sand can fall out of the grass better, which benefits the quality of the end product.
Despite this careful selection, the grass still needs to be further reduced before it is suitable for processing in the machines. This shows that, although the focus is on reusing waste streams, there are still technical and logistical challenges that need to be overcome to make these processes efficient and effective.
“We can apply this flow in a high-quality way and add value,” says Jaap. “Within our circular process, the natural fibers are mechanically reduced to a defined and applicable fiber, which is then used in our extrusion production process.”
The beauty of this process is that the roadside grass, which originally grew along the road, returns to the place where it came from in a different form. This symbolically closes the circle and underlines the possibilities of the circular economy.
Improve environmental impact
Circulus is currently focusing on roadside grass and recycled plastic. These residual flows, which would otherwise be composted or incinerated, are now used for the production of renewable raw materials. “Both traditional processes release greenhouse gases, which are now stored in the product,” says Jaap. Together we look at the best application of these residual flows, and we help companies to set up a CO2 revenue model for a sustainable and profitable future,” says Jaap.
The combination of natural fibers with plastic offers a clear added value. “The natural fibers form a matrix to which the plastic binds, resulting in improved characteristics of the composite material,” Jaap explains. “This makes our products stronger and more sustainable than products that are made of plastic alone or biobased materials alone.”
One of the other collaborations with Circulus is the project with the water board in which organic cellulose from sewage treatment is used for the production of bank protection.
In this project, organic cellulose, a by-product of sewage treatment, is used as a base material for bank protection. This innovative use of cellulose, which would otherwise be disposed of as waste, not only helps to reduce waste flows but also offers a sustainable solution for bank protection.
Instead of treating the cellulose as waste, it now becomes a valuable raw material. This approach fits perfectly within the broader pursuit of a circular economy, in which waste streams are reused to make new products.
They do this by creating value from these flows by producing biobased materials. “In our corporate philosophy, the circular chain is leading, and the biobased products are the vehicle through which waste and residual flows can move freely within the connected links in the chain,” says Jaap.
Within the Circulus production process, only plastic waste streams are used that would otherwise be thermally recycled (burned). The plastic component is essential for the composite material, as it encapsulates the natural fibres and protects them from the elements. As a result, the fibres do not or hardly degenerate, and the CO2 remains trapped in the natural fibres. “This makes the composite materials a CO2 storage buffer,” says Jaap.
Circulus also offers companies the opportunity to supply their own plastic waste streams, creating a circular chain. “Various types of plastics can be used in our production process,” says Jaap.
“It is nice to report a project that I did with my own children in their class. It is an educational project with primary school children, where birdhouses were made as a construction kit from biobased materials. These houses help to combat the processionary caterpillar. “The children learn quickly and enjoy discovering what is in the houses,” he says. “This project shows how residual flows can be given a new value, while also contributing to education and biodiversity.”
With this approach, Circulus offers an innovative solution for optimally utilizing residual flows and the company contributes to the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy.
