REMADE Announces $33 Million in New Technology Research

REMADE Announces $33 Million in New Technology Research

Institute Selects 23 Projects in Latest Round of Funding

The REMADE Institute, a 132-member public-private partnership established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with an initial investment of $140 million, today announced $33.2 million in new technology research, selecting 23 new projects as part of the Institute’s latest round of funding.

This latest round of investment is cost-shared between REMADE and the funding recipients. The 23 R&D projects are expected to lead to technologies capable of:

• Increasing recycled, or secondary, materials by as much as 8.9 million metrics tons per year

• Saving up to 407 petajoules (PJ) of embodied energy per year — the equivalent of conserving 66.5 million barrels of oil per year

• Decrease greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 24.1 million metric tons per year — eliminating the annual emissions of more than 5.2 million cars

REMADE Seeks Technology Proposals for New $45M Round of Funding

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — April 28, 2021 — Celebrating Earth Day every day, the REMADE Institute, a public-private partnership established by the United States Department of Energy, today issued its fifth Request for Proposals, representing a $45 million investment in the research, development and demonstration of technologies to sustain American manufacturing and accelerate the U.S.'s transition to a Circular Economy.

Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman said this investment is focused on reducing the nation's energy consumption, decreasing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, fostering clean tech innovation, and addressing manufacturing's impact on climate change.

"President Biden last week proudly announced our new national climate target - a 50-52% reduction in U.S. emissions by 2030," Speakes-Backman said. "Investments like this with the REMADE Institute will accelerate the U.S.'s transition to a Circular Economy, ensuring we meet this ambitious and exciting new commitment."

REMADE Chief Executive Officer Nabil Nasr said the Institute is seeking proposals for large-scale transformational research, development and demonstration projects that are industry-led and address issues across the materials supply chain. Proposed transformational projects must address the recovery and recycling of plastics, metals, fibers, and electronic waste (e-waste); or address the recovery and remanufacturing of durable goods and components.

"By focusing REMADE's investment on industry-led projects within these four key material classes, we can develop solutions that have the most significant impact nationwide," Nasr said.

REMADE is also seeking R&D projects that complement the Institute's existing portfolio. This includes proposals that focus on creating logistics models to improve materials recovery and recycling, increasing the circularity of metal alloys, identifying novel automation solutions to improve recycling economics, creating design tools that enable greater remanufacturing and recovery, utilizing recycled and cross-industry materials in manufacturing, introducing condition assessment and process technologies in remanufacturing, as well as projects that target materials with low recycling rates such as No. 3-7 plastics.

In addition, as part of this RFP, REMADE has allocated $1 million for education and workforce development. These projects must develop short courses to educate, train, and develop incumbent workers in reuse, remanufacturing, recovery, and recycling.

For more information, read the detailed RFP here. For details on the Institute's 2020 Technology Roadmap, which is guiding the RFP, review the roadmap here.

Efforts are ongoing worldwide to move from today's linear economy, where we take-make-dispose, to a Circular Economy, where we make-use-reuse-remanufacture-recycle. Conserving resources, reducing energy consumption, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions are major components of that transformation. Within a five-year period, REMADE is developing solutions that are capable of:

• Saving 1 Quad of energy, which equates to the electrical use by all U.S. households per year

• Reducing 50 million metric tons per year in greenhouse gas emissions

• Increasing the supply and use of recycled materials by more than 40 million metric tons per year

• Creating up to 700,000 direct and indirect jobs, enhancing the U.S. economy and increasing the nation's competitiveness

Those interested in learning more about this RFP are invited to participate in REMADE's upcoming live informational session webinar and Q&A, as well as upcoming teaming sessions. To register for the webinar and the teaming sessions, which will take place in early May, visit https://remadeinstitute.org/rfp.

About REMADE

Founded in 2017, REMADE is a Manufacturing USA™ Institute and public-private partnership established by the U.S. Department of Energy. REMADE is the only national institute focused entirely on the development of innovative technologies to accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry, academia, and national laboratories, REMADE enables early-stage applied research and development that will create jobs, dramatically reduce embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the supply and use of recycled materials. The cumulative, five-year embodied energy savings, greenhouse gas reduction and increase in recycled materials use expected to result from REMADE’s investment is approximately 1 Quad of energy, about 50 million metric tons of CO2equivalent greenhouse gas reduction, and more than a 40 million metric tons per year increase in the supply and use of recycled materials, respectively. For additional information about REMADE, visit www.remadeinstitute.org.

For additional information contact:
Megan Connor Murphy
Director, Marketing and Communications

REMADE Institute
585-213-1036 office
585-339-8379 cell
mconnormurphy@remadeinstitute.org

REMADE Announces $43 Million in New Technology Research

REMADE Announces $43 Million in New Technology Research

Institute Selects 24 Projects in Latest Round of Funding

The REMADE Institute is proud to announce $43 million in new technology research, selecting 24 new projects as part of the institute’s latest round of funding. We are pleased to congratulate all of the award winners.

This latest round of funding, REMADE’s fourth, brings the institute’s total number of research projects to more than 60, representing a total combined value of $63 million since the institute’s founding in 2017.

Of the 24 projects, many involve new partners for REMADE, including the Ford Motor Company, BASF, and Case Western Reserve University. They join more than 90 existing partners, including industry innovators and academic researchers with Caterpillar, John Deere, Michelin, Nike, MIT, RIT, Yale University and many more.

REMADE Chief Executive Officer Nasr said a new round of funding, valued at an additional $46 million, is expected to be announced in late spring. Projects that address education and workforce development will be considered in the fifth round, in addition to the transformational and traditional research projects that REMADE prioritizes.

“Our mission is to reduce energy consumption and decrease emissions, while increasing the U.S.’s manufacturing competitiveness,” Nasr said. “Our experts are working diligently to reach these critically important goals and, in the process, accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a Circular Economy.”

A list of our 24 projects is below:

Selective Recovery of Elements from Molten Aluminum Alloys
Phinix, LLC, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Kingston Process Metallurgy, Smelter Service Corporation, Certified Flux Solutions, LLC

Dynamic Crosslinking to Enable EVA Recycling
Braskem America, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Allbirds, Inc.

Diverting Mixed Polyolefins from Municipal Solid Waste to Feedstocks for Automotive and Building Applications
Michigan State University (MSU), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), PADNOS

Chemical Recycling of Mixed PET/Polyolefin Streams Through Sequential Pyrolysis and Catalytic Upgrading
The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Northwestern University, Shaw Group Industries, Inc., Process Systems Enterprise, Inc. - A Siemens Business

Smart Additive Manufacturing Towards Use of Recycled Paper Fibers for Producing High-quality Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Composites
University of Iowa, Impossible Objects, Inc.

Identification of Mixed Plastics and Valuable Electronics at the Source
University of Miami, Lid Vizion, LLC

Recycling of PET in Sustainable Food Packaging Systems
MuCell Extrusion LLC, Plastilene SAS a Plastilene Group Company, Wingate Packaging, Sugar Creek Packaging Co., Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT), The Ohio State University (OSU)

Reprocessing and Upcycling of Mixed Polyurethane Waste Streams
Northwestern University, BASF

Efficient Purification and Reuse of Carbon Black Recovered from End-of-Life Tires
University of Utah, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), OTR Wheel Engineering/Green Carbon

Delamination as Key Enabler for the Recycling of Polymer-based Multilayer Packaging
The Research Foundation for SUNY - University of Buffalo, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Modern Corporation, Honeywell (Performance Materials Technologies)

Zero-Waste Recycling of Blended PET Fiber to Transform Polymer Sourcing
Circ, Fiber Industries, SeaChange Technologies, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), lululemon

Development of Instruments and Techniques That Can Assess Tire Life and Increase Re-Manufacturing of Commercial Vehicle Tires
Michelin North America, Northwestern University

Development of Additive Manufacturing Material and Process Technologies to Improve the Re-Manufacturing Efficiency of Commercial Vehicle Tires
Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Arizona State University (ASU), Michelin North America, Nike Inc., Sealed Air Corporation

Remanufacturing of Surface-Hardened Steel Components by Ultrasonic Surface Modification
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Caterpillar, Inc., University of Pittsburgh (PITT)

Supramolecular Interfacial Reinforcement for Manufacture Utilizing Mixed Secondary Plastic Feedstock
The University of Akron, Braskem

Achieving 100% Recycling Aluminum in Die Casting Applications
The Ohio State University (OSU), Alcoa USA Corp., North American Die Casting Association (NADCA), CompuTherm LLC

Enabling Cross-industry Reuse of Comingled Waste Plastics as Quality Asphalt Modifier for Sustainable Pavement
University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Paragon Technical Services Inc. (a subsidiary of Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions, Inc.)

Sustainable Automotive Manufacturing
Michigan State University (MSU), American Chemistry Council (ACC), BASF

Chemical Conversion and Process Control for Increased used of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Secondary Feedstocks
University of Massachusetts Lowell (UM-L), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), SER North America LLC, iMFLUX Inc.

Material and Vehicle Design for High-Value Recycling of Aluminum and Steel Automotive Sheet
University of Michigan, Ford Motor Company, Novelis, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), The Aluminum Association, Light Metal Consultants

Analysis and Design for Sustainable Circularity of Barrier Film in Sheet Molding Composites
The Ohio State University (OSU), Kohler Co., National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Arizona State University (ASU)

Building Re-X (BREX): Data, Methodology, and Design Integration
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Building Transparency, Skidmore Owings & Merrill

Dynamic Systems Analysis of PET and Olefin Polymers in a Circular Economy
Michigan Technological University (MTU), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), Yale University, Chemstations, Honeywell UOP

The REMADE Institute announces $6M aimed at improving competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and workforce development

The REMADE Institute announced the selection of 9 projects for negotiation dedicated to improving the competitiveness of U.S. Manufacturing and advancing the circular economy.

These projects align with REMADE’s mission to drive down the cost of technologies essential to reuse, recycle and remanufacture materials such as metals, fibers, polymers and electronic waste. This is expected to save the U.S. manufacturing base billions in energy costs and will strengthen the nation’s economic competitiveness through cutting-edge innovation. REMADE is pursuing this mission by enabling early stage applied research and development of key industrial platform technologies that could dramatically reduce the embodied energy and carbon emissions associated with industrial-scale materials production and processing.

The following teams have been selected for negotiations:

Quantification of Financial and Environmental Benefits Tradeoffs in Multi-Generational Product Family Development Considering Re-X Performances

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Iowa State University, Deere and Company, Green Electronics Council

The objectives are to develop fundamental models and new design tools with capabilities of generating and comparing design for Re-X alternatives considering economic profitability and environmental impact savings. The specifics of the research objectives are to (1) identify design for reliability processes factors that are interdependent with Re-X options, thus establish models for the interdependencies, (2) integrate these  interdependence models with existing reliability analysis tools so that new analysis tools could take into account Re-X options in design for reliability, (3) create a decision support system for the optimization of product family design considering reliability and Re-X options concurrently, and (4) take into account the uncertainties resulted from post design activities so that robust design tradeoff decisions can be made. 

Design Iteration Tool to Sustain Remanufacturability

Iowa State University, Danfoss

The overall goal of this project is the development and application of a software plug-in to enable the design of components that will satisfy both EPA standards-driven light weighting efforts and parametric feature designs that enable remanufacturability (e.g., remove material where feasible for light-weighting and, at the same time, add material where needed to sustain remanufacturability). To achieve this goal, the first objective of this project is to establish a best practice approach to modify a typical design process for DfReman. The second objective is the creation of a software plugin for mainstream CAD software to enable design for remanufacturing consideration of high-value components. This tool will use realistic life estimates to automatically generate design alternatives for sustained remanufacturability, thereby reducing energy, emissions, material consumption and cost. This  tool development will focus on engine cylinder heads and industrial pump components and will facilitate the generation of  designs that will make components more readily available for remanufacturing processes, such as, re-machining of critical wear features for return to service, complete with estimates of cost/benefit of analysis for multiple lifecycles.  The third and final objective disseminate the results of this project by developing  training videos on the application of DfReman rules and the software plugin and creating a website to disseminate the plugin and training materials. 

Low Heat Repair of Cast Iron

Rochester Institute of Technology, John Deere Reman

The objective of this project is to develop a robust weld repair process that does not require pre-heat temperatures greater than 315°C and shortens cool down periods to less than eight hours. In addition, the process will be able to consistently create a weld with minimal regions of high hardness and no cracks in or around the weld.

Rapid Damage Identification to Reduce Remanufacturing Costs

Iowa State University, John Deere & Company

The objective of this project is to develop and validate a remanufacturability assessment method that will support decision making about the viability of remanufacturing a component. The proposed method is based on development of machine learning (ML) techniques for recognizing different types of component damage, embedding developed ML algorithms in low-cost, damage-identification hardware for use in-process at the remanufacturing factory floor, and using this in-process technique to develop a real- time estimate of remanufacturing costs for a component. Although most high-value, metal-alloy components can be remanufactured, sufficiently accurate and rapid decision making support tools are needed to significantly reduce remanufacturing costs and increase the throughput and volume of remanufactured components.

Low-Concentration Metal Recovery from Complex Streams Using Gas-Assisted Microflow Solvent Extraction (GAME) 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Phinix, LLC

The objective of this project is to develop GAME for efficient and cost- effective extraction and purification of low-concentration, high-value metals from complex streams. The successful development of this technology will contribute to the production of high- purity precious metals from end-of-life PCBs of various sources. GAME uses three phases (aqueous, organic, and gas) to achieve an efficient separation in a confined microchannel.

Development and Validation of Metal Separation Technology for Complex Metal Systems

The Pennsylvania State University, CHZ Technologies LLC

The goal of the proposed work is to develop, design, and demonstrate novel bench scale processes for efficient, low-cost, and environmentally benign elemental separation from low concentration solutions obtained from leaching of electronic waste (e-waste) processing streams. These are key processes for the recovery of valuable materials from e-waste and will provide a pathway to profitable recycling processes for high-value metals. Separation of multiple elements from complex metal-bearing waste streams (with low concentration) through traditional metal separation processes, such as solvent extraction (SX), ion exchange (IX), and precipitation, is economically and environmentally challenging. The objective of this proposal is to evaluate two innovative processes/technology, viz., electrosterically stabilized nanocrystalline cellulose (ENCC), and Continuous Ion Exchange and Ion Chromatography (CIX-CIC) with modified zeolite and polymers, for the separation of Al, Cu, Au, Ag, and Pd from e-waste streams (i.e., printed wiring boards).

CombiCleanTM: Facilitating Contaminant Removal in Recycled Plastics

Michigan State University, Sealed Air

The objective of the project is to develop a hyperspectral data base to enable more effective sorting and cleaning of secondary plastics feedstocks. The project will produce several tangible outcomes. An open source database, CombiClean™, will be developed, disseminated and archived in a publicly available repository.  Hyperspectral characterization (combined FTIR, Raman, and LIBS) for model systems in virgin, contaminated, and cleaned conditions will be collected. Generated data will be used to train machine learning algorithms and demonstrate improved sorting. High throughput methods will be used to develop customized cleaning solutions based on specific contaminants incorporating enzymes. A process model will be populated by the cleaning data. Process economics and life-cycle impacts will be calculated to compare the new optimized processes against the present baseline of simple caustic / surfactants at high temperatures.

Biological & Bio-Mechanical Technologies for Recycled Fibers to Regain Fiber Quality and Increase Secondary Feedstock in High Value-Added Paper Grades

Western Michigan University, Idaho National Laboratory, Graphic Packaging International, WestRock Company

The goal of this project is to develop new technologies for removing contaminants from recycled paper to less than 0.5% and to develop technologies for regaining or fiber quality without using only mechanical refining. The new technologies developed will help paper recycling industry to produce much cleaner pulp and higher quality fibers so more recycled fibers can be used in place of virgin fibers in high grade paper. The new technologies developed based on new enzyme applications will also reduce the energy consumptions in both contamination removal and fiber refining process and increase the yield of the fiber recycling.

Advanced Education and Workforce Training in Fibers Recycling

Western Michigan University, Graphic Packaging International, Resource Recycling Systems

The goal of this project is to develop curriculum and coursework for training modules in advanced fibers recycling for the REMADE Education and Workforce Development Tiered Certificate Pathway program . The specific objectives of the project are develop course content that fill the knowledge gap including (1) develop course materials to cover all the major recycled fibers and all major paper grades; (2) develop course materials to cover the entire fiber recycling process; (3) develop course materials to address specific challenges in the paper recycling process; (4) develop course materials to cover fiber identification, testing and quality control, and senor technologies in sorting; (5) develop a coursework structure that is in line with REMADE Tiered Certificate Pathway framework and that can be delivered through traditional teaching methods, online and distance learning, and hands-on experience in in-person short course format.

The REMADE Institute Announces up to $35 Million in Funding for Technology Solutions to Accelerate the Transition to the Circular Economy

ROCHESTER, N.Y., August 17, 2020 –

The REMADE Institute has issued its fourth Request for Proposals (RFP) to invest up to $35M for research and development of transformational technologies to increase the recovery, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling of metals, polymers, fibers, and e-waste. The funding will be matched by project participants, for a total investment of up to $70M.

REMADE has made it a priority to focus on the plastic value chain by especially seeking proposals that will significantly increase the domestic recycling of plastics. Using recycled plastic instead of virgin plastic can reduce energy consumption by up to 79% and greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 67%*

Nabil Nasr, REMADE’s CEO, stated “With the challenges facing industry today, it is increasingly important to improve U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. Our partnership of 100 industry, national laboratory, and academic innovators are working together to reduce the energy and environmental burden of domestic manufacturing while delivering value to industry, the economy, and the environment.”

REMADE has invested $20M in projects to date. These promising technology advancements cut across multiple industries and the entire material lifecycle. For a detailed description and application process for the current Request for Proposals (RFP), visit https://remadeinstitute.org/rfp.

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About the REMADE Institute
Founded in 2017, REMADE is a $140 million Manufacturing USA® Institute co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. REMADE is the only national institute primarily focused on the development of transformational technologies to support U.S. manufacturing in the transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry, academia, and national laboratories, the REMADE Institute enables early-stage applied research and development of technologies that will create new jobs and will dramatically reduce embodied energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with industrial-scale materials production and processing and increase the supply and use of recycled materials. The cumulative embodied energy savings, greenhouse gas reduction and increase in recycled materials use expected to result from REMADE’s 5-year $140 million investment in research is approximately 1 Quad of energy (approximately 180 million barrels of oil per year), about 25 million metric tons of CO2equivalent greenhouse gas reduction and more than a 40 million metric tons per year increase in the supply and use of recycled materials, respectively. For additional information about the REMADE Institute, email contact@remadeinstitute.org

*Franklin Associates, A Division of Eastern Research Group (ERG), (December 2018), Life Cycle Impacts for Post-Consumer Recycled Resins: PET, HDPE, AND PP, The Association of Plastic Recyclers

Contact: REMADE Institute
Phone: 585-226-1313
Email: media@remadeinstitute.org

Systems Analysis for PET and Olefin Polymers in a Global Circular Economy

A 2019 study by The Recycling Partnership[1] identified an annual gap of more than 1 billion pounds between current U.S. supply and projected 2025 demand for recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for use in bottles. To close that gap and support REMADE’s goal to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, a team from Michigan Technological University, the American Chemistry Council, and Idaho National Laboratory is developing a systems analysis framework to predict the environmental, economic, and societal impacts of establishing global closed loop cycles for PET and Olefin polymers. When completed, this framework could be used to analyze how new recovery technologies or strategies for optimizing the use of mechanical and recycling technologies would enhance the recycling of PET and Polyolefin polymers.

[1] The Bridge to Circularity: Putting the New Plastics Economy into Practice in the U.S., The Recycling Partnership (2019)