During the 11th edition of the Modification Degradation and Stabilization Society, MoDeSt24 held in Palermo from September 1 to 4, professor Annamaria Visco, scientific officer for UNIME of the EU co-funded under the LIFE Programme LIFE RESTART project, presented the results of the LIFE RESTART research with an oral communication entitled: A study on bioplastics obtained from renewable sources: material’s characterization and biodegradation in soil and with a poster by Dr. Cristina Scolaro entitled: Photo-degradation effects of bio-ploybutylene-succinate exposed to UVC rays.”

In the same venue, the first prototypes generated by the LIFE RESTART project partners and stakeholders were shown, which intrigued the participants especially regarding the natural and characteristic odor emanating from the biocomposites.

A number of researchers from Fraunhofer ICT (https://www.ict.fraunhofer.de/en.html ) and Fraunhofer LBF (https://www.lbf.fraunhofer.de/en.html ) working on biodegradation and durability, chemical synthesis of additives, respectively, also showed much interest and were willing to collaborate on possible issues to be developed together on additives, biodegradability, durability.

Organized by the Modification Degradation and Stabilization (MoDeSt) Society, MoDeSt24 brought together researchers from academia, leading research organizations, and representatives from national and international industries working in the area of sustainability of polymer and biopolymer materials and their composites to reason about degradation and stabilization, physical and chemical modification of polymers, mechanical and chemical recycling, filled systems, polymer blends, and nanocomposites.

The conference is part of a series of international events promoted precisely by the Modification Degradation and Stabilization (MoDeSt) Society, which aims to promote a common platform for knowledge exchange, mobility, and networking among scientists, engineers, and companies in the field by aiming to develop links between the worlds of industry and public research.