FFG Project Cornet: Polycycle – Project to develop a test strategy for comprehensive safety assessment of plastic polymer recyclates

At the moment, the EFSA has hardly authorised any recycling processes, with the exception of PET. Potentially harmful substances could migrate from the polymers into the food they contain and thus pose a risk to consumers. At present, not all possible contaminants can be covered by chemical analysis. Unidentified substances are assumed to be worst-case: directly DNA-reactive genotoxins. Therefore, the use of post-consumer recyclates for the production of food contact materials is currently not yet possible for some very frequently used polymer groups, in particular polyolefins (polyethylene/polypropylene). The Cornet/FFG Polycycle project was launched to develop a test strategy and generate data to enable the authorisation of new recycling processes, including for the food sector.

To meet this challenge, Hochschule Campus Wien is currently working on a test battery focussing on the detection of DNA-reactive genotoxins. The strategy is based on ruling out the presence of these contaminants using in vitro bioassays, thereby supplementing existing analytical methods. The so-called Ames assay in particular has proven to be extremely promising for this application. The greatest challenge here is to improve the detection limits of this assay and to enable the detection of critical substances in very low concentration ranges. In addition to this, sample preparation methods are being developed that should enable greater concentration of the critical analytes. Another important aspect is the software-supported simulation of migration, which should enable a realistic estimation of target concentrations.

Direct contact with the funding organisations is handled by ecoplus. Hochschule Campus Wien has a contract as a third-party service provider with ecoplus for the allocated funding amount.