Towards Circular Material Futures: Development of innovative solutions to recycling and re-purposing existing pre-farm gate waste

University of Technology, Sydney

  • Project code: PRO-015081

  • Project stage: Closed

  • Project start date: Sunday, May 30, 2021

  • Project completion date: Thursday, January 27, 2022

  • National Priority: TIA - Waste

Summary

Plastics and limited quantities of mixed general waste can be effectively repurposed into new products for the built environment through additive manufacturing. Plastics and hard waste have multiple pathways for providing a new useful life: upcycling, downcycling, and energy extraction.  

This project will undertake an analysis of opportunities to deliver practical solutions to minimise pre-farm gate waste to landfill, including consideration of research-supported innovative and novel solutions for material conversion into new products. This will include technologies to convert plastic and general waste into valuable construction additives, 3D printing materials and hydrogen recovery for energy conversion. A suite of proposed solutions will be considered, including viability and the potential market demand for the repurposed products.

The assessment will focus on: 

  1. Plastics: hard and soft such as PVC irrigation piping, silage wrap, plastic twine, woven polypropylene etc.
  2. Workshop waste: tyres, posts, and other hard materials.

The project will provide examples of the opportunities in a more circular economy these technologies present for agricultural, fisheries and forestry applications. Consideration will be given to implementation details of logistics and regulatory requirements, environmental and economic impacts. 

Program

Transformative Industry Action

Research Organisation

University of Technology, Sydney