Hands-on Polymers

The project

Hands-on Polymers aims to sustainably create an innovative laboratory that recreates a real polymer processing environment to support multi and interdisciplinary Teaching / Research activities, with a strong connection to Industry and Society. Through interdepartmental projects involving several curricular units (UCs) from various courses at IST, students have the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams, to have “hands-on” access to polymer processing equipment to autonomously apply theoretical concepts and learn collaboratively.

What was done

Logistics: • Hands-on Polymers lab was implemented at IST – Campus Alameda (South Tower, floor -2). After cleaning and general organization of the space, an extruder, press, oven, melt flow index equipment, rheometer, dynamic-mechanical analysis equipment, among others, were installed next to the existing polymer processing equipment. Education: • An integrated work among UCs from different Departments was implemented in order to illustrate the concept of Circular Economy, represented in the Figure. 45 students participated in this initiative, elaborating a final report. All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. • A student went for a summer internship at Poliversal

S.A., which will potentially proceed with a Master’s thesis in 2020/2021. • 2 Master’s theses were carried out in the Hands-on

Polymers lab co-supervised by Ana Marques (DEQ) and Ana Carvalho (DEG). Research: • 4 R&D project applications were submitted, co-proposed by Ana Marques (DEQ) and Ana Carvalho (DEG), in the Calls FCT, FCT - IC&DT Portugal India and

H2020-BBI-JTI-2020. Industry: • Polymer processing companies (Janz S.A. and Cabopol

S.A.) were visited and plan to visit our facilities. • A confidentiality and collaboration agreement has been established with Symrise AG. Society: • A seminar and demonstration session was held for students from Secondary School, within the scope of the DEQ Open Labs. • An opinion article was published: Ana C. Marques, Rui

G. dos Santos, “Plastic or non-plastic, that is the question”. Open Labs Book 2020. ISBN: 978-989-99508-7-0. • The Hands-on Polymers website was created to communicate the activities and capabilities of the new lab: http://handsonpolymers.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/

Other information

The “hands-on” laboratory component was, without any doubt, the greatest asset of this project, expressed both by students and by professionals from the Industry.

“it has been the best experience when it comes to studying, planning and developing an industry-related problem in a real context since I´ve started at the University” (António Cardoso, Master student).

Dissemination through the website, contacts with companies and R&D project applications are some of the activities designed to impart a self-sustainable continuity to the Hands-on Polymers project, targeting the replication, or scalability of the project.

Ana C. Marques (ana.marques@tecnico.ulisboa.pt) Department of Chemical Engineering Ana Carvalho (anacarvalho@tecnico.ulisboa.pt) Department of Engineering and Management Maria Emília Rosa (emilia.rosa@tecnico.ulisboa.pt) Virgínia Infante (virginia.infante@tecnico.ulisboa.pt) Department of Mechanical Engineering

UC: Materials Processing II (MEM), Industrial Management and Environment (LEGI), Materials Science (MEAer, MEMec, LEAN)