Work Package 8: Pioneering Sustainability and Circularity in Ballistic Protection Systems

May 22, 2025

We’re excited to introduce Work Package 8 (WP8) of the ECOBALLIFE project. This work package focuses on sustainability in ballistic protection systems. WP8 aims to reduce environmental impact and ensure efficient use of materials across the entire lifecycle of protective solutions.

This package evaluates the environmental footprint of personal and platform protection systems through a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). It also develops innovative recycling processes for ballistic fibres, ceramics, and metallic alloys. The goal is to enable design for dismantling and material reuse in both ballistic and non-ballistic applications.

🔍 WP8 Objectives

  • Demonstrate Sustainability: Minimize environmental impact and optimize resource use in manufacturing.
  • Efficient Use of Materials: Enable recycling and reuse through smart design and dismantling strategies.
  • Complete Life Cycle Assessment: Evaluate environmental impact across the entire value chain.
  • Recycling Process Development: Create circular solutions for fibre, ceramic, and metal reuse.

🧵Fibre Recycling and Reuse

This task investigates how to recycle textile materials from rigid composites. We use high-pressure water, solvents, and pyrolysis for separation.

Two recycling methods are applied:

  • Thermal recycling melts fibres for re-spinning or reshaping.
  • Mechanical recycling shreds and cards fibres for nonwoven fabrics or yarns.

We also explore scaling the process and increasing second-life material in textiles.

🧱 Ballistic Ceramic Recycling

This task focuses on optimizing resource use by using low-cost carbon precursors and recycling SiC and B4C ceramics. The process includes milling and sieving to prepare materials for reuse in protection systems and sintering processes.

Sustainability in the recycling process of ballistic ceramics.

🔩 Metallic Alloy Recycling

This task investigates recycling of metal-matrix composites (MMCs) and metallic structures. We use mechanical and thermal dismantling methods to separate components without generating extra CO₂ emissions.

We reuse undamaged plates and crush damaged MMCs for new materials. We also test bonded MMC-metal parts for reinforced castings.

📊 Sustainability Through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

We perform a full LCA using GaBi software. We assess water, energy, and material use, as well as emissions and waste. The analysis includes economic viability through CAPEX and OPEX evaluations. We use real production data and databases like Sphera and Ecoinvent.

🤝 Collaboration for Sustainability

WP8 is led by TECNALIA Research & Innovation with support from:
CITEVE, Sasia Reciclagem Fibras Têxteis, Petroceramics, VTT, Miilux Oy, Exote Oy, AITEX, and FYC.

This team brings expertise in materials, recycling, ceramics, metals, and environmental impact. Together, we embed sustainability into high-performance protection systems.

🌍 By integrating circular economy principles, WP8 helps ECOBALLIFE reduce environmental impact while maintaining top-tier protection.