Quality, analysis, innovation – how our laboratory sets new standards

The path to ISO 9001

At Dr. Albert Paparo's, Head of Research & Development at enespa, the air doesn't always smell of chemicals, but sometimes of office coffee. One tends to imagine the work of a scientist in a research lab as spectacular: green liquids, white coats, and high-tech equipment. That's not entirely wrong – but research isn't just about experiments. Administrative work is also part of it. And Dr. Paparo currently has a lot of that.

The reason: The enespa laboratory recently successfully completed its initial ISO 9001 certification. This was a significant milestone preceded by an intensive preparation phase. In addition to establishing a comprehensive quality management system, this involved defining processes, assigning responsibilities, assessing risks, documenting everything, and continuously improving the system.

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Innovation in the laboratory: Dr. Albert Paparo and his team are significantly driving the development of pyrolysis research.

"I honestly underestimated how demanding ISO 9001 certification is."

"But now I understand why the effort is so great: Everything is interconnected. The system creates structure, transparency – and sustainably increases our efficiency." ISO 9001 certification is therefore not the end, but the beginning of a continuous improvement process. The next goal has already been defined: accreditation according to ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for testing laboratories (This confirms that a laboratory is technically competent and delivers reliable, internationally recognized test and measurement results.) It places even higher demands on expertise, validation, and traceability. "We are ready to take this next step to not only ensure the quality of our work but also continuously develop it," says Paparo.

Focus on laboratory renovation and new services

ISO certification isn't the only update from the enespa laboratory. In recent months, Dr. Albert Paparo and his team have further expanded the laboratory to increase capacity and improve efficiency. At the same time, the range of services offered has also been significantly expanded. A key component of this is the Standard enespa Feedstock Analysis (SeFSA), an analysis service for plastic waste that is now an integral part of the offering.

"We designed SeFSA from the ground up," explains Dr. Paparo. "We support our customers from the starting material—the so-called feedstock—all the way to the large-scale industrial process."

The concept is modular and consists of four stages.

Customers can flexibly decide whether they want to use individual stages or complete the entire analysis process. This approach allows us to address their individual needs, from the initial assessment to the concrete implementation of the technology.

Also new to the portfolio is REACH-compliant analysis for hydrocarbon mixtures, especially for pyrolysis products. "As far as I know, there are only a handful of laboratories in Germany that currently offer this service in this form," says Paparo. And demand is growing, especially from companies that must register their products in accordance with European chemicals regulations.

Innovation from research: patents and new standards

There's also progress in research: In response to a customer request for the dechlorination of pyrolysis oil, a process was developed that has since been patented. "Chlorine contamination of pyrolysis oils is a well-known problem. A functioning and cost-effective dechlorination process is a real breakthrough – and we are now working on implementing it on a large-scale."

Many of the questions in this area are new and not yet standardized, which represents not only a challenge but also an opportunity for the enespa laboratory.

“We have the opportunity to set standards and help shape norms,” says Paparo.

"My goal is to ensure that pyrolysis products can be analyzed reliably and in a standardized manner in the future. The road to achieving this is long, but we have already gained a great deal of experience, refined methods, and are constantly expanding our expertise."

Competence that grows with every task

The expertise in the enespa laboratory is developing rapidly. With every new analysis, every customer project, and every research question, our expertise grows, both in technology and consulting. "Today, we can provide our customers with very specific information about feasibility and implementation potential – and this will become even more valuable in the future."