In Spain, Project BARBARA (Biopolymers with advanced functionalities for building and automotive parts processed through additive manufacturing), is developing new biobased 3D printing materials for the automotive and construction industries. The new materials will be based on agricultural byproducts such as food waste and corn and will need to have mechanical, thermal, antimicrobial and optical properties to be considered for the project. Project BARBARA’s €2.7 million (over $3 million) in funding is coming from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework. Horizon 202 is the largest EU Research and Innovation program with almost €80 billion (nearly $90 billion) of funding for projects to drive smart sustainable economic growth and innovation.
Project BARBARA partners include Fecoam and Cargill for food and farming waste, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, CELABOR, and the University of Alicante for the chemical processes, NUREL and Tecnopackaging for the 3D printing materials and spools, and ACCIONA Construcción and Centro Ricerche FIAT to validate the 3D printed prototypes for automotive and construction use.