A new type of fire-resistant cladding, developed by RMIT University researchers and using 83 per cent recycled glass, is currently being commercialised.Results of the long-running project are being patented by Livefield and heading towards manufacture, according to a statement from the university.The solution – panels of which have been installed at RMIT’s Bundoora campus (pictured) – uses recycled glass, plus plastic binders and fire-retardant materials.The cladding overcomes previous issues of brittleness attached to glass-based claddings, and has met the key AS1530.1 standard for non-combustibility, said research lead Associate Professor Dilan Robert.More information here:https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/recycled-glass-based-cladding-nears-manufacture
On March 2023 a road at Penrith NSW become the first in Australia to include recycled coffee cups, the result of a project between State Asphalt Services and Closed Loop, the operator of the Simply Cups recycling program.Closed Loop said the paper cups were a beneficial additive, and the roads had improved pavement durability and crack resistance, as well as wet weather skid resistance, a 24 per cent lower carbon footprint, and reduced noise levels.https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/recycled-coffee-cups-in-penrith-roads-an-australian-first
RMIT University researchers have developed a method of creating hydrogen directly from seawater.Lab-scale tests have shown the process creates no carbon dioxide and no chlorine, the latter of which is currently “the biggest hurdle” in using seawater to create hydrogen, RMIT said.“With further development, we hope this could advance the establishment of a thriving green hydrogen industry in Australia,” said research lead Dr Nasir Mahmood.The team is “working with industry partners to develop aspects of this technology” and planning development of a prototype electrolyser combining “a series of catalysts to produce large quantities of hydrogen.”https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/new-approach-f
Startup Biocarbon is commercialising a process to make biochar suitable for coke replacement in steelmaking.Biochar is made from pyrolysis, usually in a kiln where biomass is heated at up to 700 degrees C with little or no oxygen. The charcoal is useful in soil conditioning and could help draw down and store CO2 in the ground.Biocarbon has developed a way to make char dense and pure enough to replace coke in electric arc steelmaking, and is engaged with Molycop in R&D on this new, environmentally gentler method, which they say is a world first. (Picture: Wikipedia.)https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/startup-wants-to-help-steelmakers-kick-their-coke-habit
Venture backed ANU spinout Samsara is part of a global movement to discover new enzymes that are able to digest plastic and turn it into useful chemical building blocks.Plastic-munching enzymes are computationally designed by ANU chemistry researchers, and their processes are being scaled up. Samsara plans to open a plant in 2022 that can reprocess things like PET bottles and old footy jumpers into monomers, which can then be remade into plastics that are as good as new."we’re actually depolymerising plastic in just under an hour, which is a fantastic improvement in performance," according to co-founder Paul Riley.https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/digesting-the-issue-woolies-bac
Green Eco Technologies began in the UK in 2016, but later moved to Australia and has been manufacturing here since July 2021.GET removes about 80 per cent of the volume from organic waste using heat of 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, air, and a “Mixed Ion Reactive Approach”. Radicalised oxygen molecules kill off microbes to remove pungent smells, breaking down organics at the cell level to turn them into a kind of nutrient and calorie-rich compost. This can then be diluted as a soil improver or fed into an anaerobic digestor to make biogas. https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/saving-through-smarter-energy-use-the-melbourne-company-taking-the-stink-out-of-waste-to-energy
