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Advanced Education and Workforce Training in Fibers Recycling

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Advanced Education and Workforce Training in Fibers Recycling

This Education and Workforce Development project focused on developing training in advanced fibers recycling for the Awareness, Practitioner, and Expert levels. Courses developed included:

New Technology Developments in Paper Recycling (Awareness)

Recycled Paper Lab Research and Testing with TAPPI Standards (Awareness)

Paper Recycling Pilot Plant and Industry Tours (Awareness)

The Recycling System: Value Chains, Collection, MRFs, & Markets (Awareness, Practitioner)

Manufacturing of Paper from Recycled Fibers-Process, Products, and Technologies (Awareness, Practitioner)

Fiber Properties and Paper Physics (Awareness, Practitioner)

Printing Inks and Deinking in the Paper Recycling Process (Awareness, Practitioner, Expert)

Chemical Agents Used in Paper Recycling to Improve Process Operation and Process Quality (Awareness, Practitioner, Expert)

Stickies and Organic Materials Characterization and Removal in the Paper Recycling Process (Awareness, Practitioner, Expert)

Project Team:
Western Michigan University, Graphic Packaging International, Recourse Recovery Systems (RRS)

19-01-EWD-01

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 to develop course content that fills the knowledge gap including (1) developing course materials to cover all the major recycled fibers and all major paper grades; (2) developing 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 sensor 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-person short course format.

Increasing Melt Efficiency and Secondary Alloy Usage in Aluminum Die Casting

Increasing melt efficiency and secondary alloy usage in aluminum die casting

The aluminum casting industry uses limited quantities of secondary alloys because of their poor quality (i.e. high concentrations of residual contaminants such as iron). In this project thermodynamic and kinetic models coupled with experimental validation and testing will be used to develop holistic contaminant control techniques including alloy, flux and refractory chemistries to increase melt efficiencies with higher levels of secondary materials use.

Project Team:
The Ohio State University (OSU), Alcoa USA Corp., North American Die Casting Association (NADCA)

18-01-MM-08

Chemical Recycling of Mixed Plastics and Valuable Metals in the Electronic Waste Using Solvent-Based Processing

Chemical Recycling of Mixed Plastics and Valuable Metals in the Electronic Waste Using Solvent-Based Processing

This project seeks to demonstrate the potential of solvent-based extraction process to recover plastics mixed metals and plastics electronic waste (e‐waste) for cross-industry reuse. Following extraction of the plastics, the mixed-stream would be primarily metals. The plastics would be recovered from the process solvent using an anti-solvent. If successful, this project will significantly increase the recycling rates of e-waste, and the recovery of plastics and metals from this source material. The potential energy savings and emission reduction from this project are estimated at 16PJ per year and 334,000 MT of CO2eq. per year.

Project Team:
University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Sunnking, Inc., Institute of Scrap Recycling

18-02-RR-17

New Approaches to Improve Deinking Flotation to Increase the Availability of High-Quality, Low-Cost Recycle Paper Fibers

New Approaches to Improve Deinking Flotation to Increase the Availability of High-Quality, Low-Cost Recycle Paper Fibers

This project addresses paper fiber recycling needs. The paper industry in the U.S. replaces more than half of its fiber needs with secondary resources recovered from post-consumer paper and paper products. This project will help the industry to further increase their economically competitive recycling rates to those achieved in Europe by developing more efficient separation technologies that can produce higher brightness fibers by removing impurities more efficiently from spent wood fibers. The project could enable the use of an additional 1.3 million metric tons per year of secondary fiber.

Project Team:
Virginia Tech and Thiele Kaolin Company

18-02-RR-15

High Speed Laser Cladding for Hard Surface Replacement

High Speed Laser Cladding for Hard Surface Replacement

This project lays out a novel technique - high speed laser cladding - for remanufacturing high-strength components such as crankshafts and camshafts. While cladding is a proven technique for applying wear-resistant metal coatings In manufacturing, high-speed laser cladding increases productivity and significantly reduce the cost of applying the layers That will enable use of this technology in remanufacturing.

The new approach to cladding will result in increasing the reuse rate in engine remanufacturing from 70% to 95%, reducing annual embodied energy and emissions by 1.3 PJ and 44,000 metric tons, respectively.

Project Team:
Rochester Institute of Technology, Caterpillar Inc., Synergy Additive Manufacturing

18-02-RM-03

Non-Destructive In-process Assessment of Thermal Spray Repairs

Non-Destructive In-process Assessment of Thermal Spray Repairs

Thermal spray process inspection is currently lot-based which can result in the rejection of entire lots of parts due to process variation. This project will focus on development of non-destructive in-process evaluation of thermal spray to minimize reject rates of good parts.

Project Team:
Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Pittsburgh, Caterpillar Inc.

18-01-RM-11

Low-Cost, High-Value Metal Recovery from Electronic Waste to Increase Recycling and Reduce Environmental Impact

Low-Cost, High-Value Metal Recovery from Electronic Waste to Increase Recycling and Reduce Environmental Impact

This project seeks to adapt relatively low-cost and low-energy leaching technologies to directly recover copper and precious metals from e-waste.  This approach will enable the recovery of these metals from the mixed metals and plastics streams from e-waste and also enable recovery of the plastics. This technology could replace energy-intensive pyrometallurgical processes such as high-temperature smelting that might otherwise be used to recover metals, but due to the high-temperature the plastics are consumed. 

Utilizing these less energy-intensive and lower-cost technologies will provide the economic incentive to dramatically increase e-waste recycling by as much as 20%. The potential energy and emissions reduction are estimated at 21PJ per year and 1.2 million MT of CO2eq per year.

Project Team:
University of Utah, Sunnking, Inc.

18-02-RR-06

Scalable High Shear Catalyzed Depolymerization of Multilayer Plastic Packaging

Scalable High Shear Catalyzed Depolymerization of Multilayer Plastic Packaging

Industry is increasingly combining layers of different polymer materials to construct highly functional, lightweight packaging (e.g. to extend food life). These multilayer films are unfortunately less recyclable than single layer films. This project will investigate catalytic depolymerization as a cost-effective approach to process these films into higher value products suitable for use in a variety of applications.

Project Team:
University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Michigan State University, Unilever, American Chemistry Council, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

18-01-RR-20

Demineralization of Carbon Black Derived from End-of-Life Tires

Demineralization of Carbon Black Derived from End-of-Life Tires

Alternative process technologies will be experimentally evaluated to upgrade carbon black recovered from end-of-life tires to meet carbon black market quality specifications. Approximately 3.87 Mt of waste tires accrue every year in the United States. If all these tires were processed to recover the carbon black, about 1.1 Mt of carbon black could be recovered to use as a secondary feedstock.

Project Team:
University of Utah, OTR Wheel Engineering/Green Carbon Inc., Idaho National Laboratory

18-01-RR-19

In-situ Nondestructive Evaluation of In-flight Particle Dynamics and Intrinsic Properties for Thermal Spray Repairs

In-situ Nondestructive Evaluation of In-flight Particle Dynamics and Intrinsic Properties for Thermal Spray Repairs

The quality of coated surfaces from thermal spray repairs is determined by the particles impacting the surface. A better understanding of in-flight particle dynamics will enable improved success rates for repairs in the remanufacturing industry.

Project Team:
Iowa State University, John Deere

18-01-RM-09

Epoxy/Silicon Potting Material Removal for Greater Recovery of Circuit Boards

Epoxy/Silicon Potting Material Removal for Greater Recovery of Circuit Boards

More cost-effective technologies are needed to remove coating or potting materials from circuit boards to enable repair and reuse. Two alternative technologies, laser ablation and micro-media blasting, will be tested and evaluated to quantify cost-effectiveness relative to industry specified cost targets.

Project Team:
Rochester Institute of Technology, Caterpillar Inc., CoreCentric Solutions

18-01-RM-13

Quantitative Non-Destructive Evaluation of Fatigue Damage Based on Multi-Sensor Fusion

Quantitative Non-Destructive Evaluation of Fatigue Damage Based on Multi-Sensor Fusion

Current single-sensor non-destructive fatigue damage evaluation techniques have limited accuracy in predicting actual fatigue damage and the remaining useful life of a recovered part. The integration of multiple sensors which respond differently to fatigue damage has the potential of increasing the predictive accuracy of remaining useful life of materials to enable higher remanufacturing rates of parts.

Project Team:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Pennsylvania State University

18-01-RM-12

Assessment of the Impact of Single Stream Recycling on Paper Contamination in Recovery Facilities and Paper Mills

Assessment of the Impact of Single Stream Recycling on Paper Contamination in Recovery Facilities and Paper Mills

This project aims to evaluate the impact of single stream recycling (SSR) on paper contamination in recovery operations and explore emerging recovery processes for minimizing fiber contamination.

Project Team:
University fo Miami

17-FP-RR-03

Development of New Cost-Effective Methods for Removing Trace Contaminants in Recycled Metals

Development of New Cost-Effective Methods for Removing Trace Contaminants in Recycled Metals

Cost-effective technologies for the in-melt removal and/or neutralization of trace contaminants in metals is critical for secondary feedstocks to achieve cost parity with primary feedstocks. This exploratory project will experimentally evaluate the addition of “scoping” elements in molten aluminum to neutralize trace contaminants that would otherwise constrain the recycling of aluminum.

Project Team:
The Ohio State University, Alcoa, Computherm

18-01-RR-21

Remaining Life Determination

Remaining Life Determination

Non-destructive methods to measure accumulated mechanical damage (i.e., fatigue) prior to failure do not exist. Research will focus on methods to reliably detect features associated with early stage fatigue damage to predict the remaining useful life of the part.

Project Team:
Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Caterpillar Inc.

18-01-RM-10

Pushing the State of the Art in Steel Recycling through Innovation in Scrap Sorting and Impurity Removal

Pushing the State of the Art in Steel Recycling through Innovation in Scrap Sorting and Impurity Removal

Increasing the utility of steel scrap through innovation in sorting and impurity removal will increase the use of secondary feedstock and achieve cost parity for secondary materials for steel products. This study will investigate: 1) physical methods such as optical sorting to upgrade scrap steel and 2) chemical or metallurgical treatment methods to remove or neutralize the effect of impurities in molten steel.

Project Team:
Colorado School of Mines

18-01-RR-16

Rapid Sorting of Scrap Metals with Solid State Device

Rapid Sorting of Scrap Metals with Solid State Device

This project focuses on improving the separation of non-ferrous scrap metals from other non-ferrous metals using electrodynamic sorting (EDX) at high throughput and with greater purity and yield.

Project Team:
University fo Utah

17-FP-RR-01

Determining Material, Environmental and Economic Efficiency of Sorting and Recycling Mixed Flexible Packaging and Plastic Wrap

Determining Material, Environmental and Economic Efficiency of Sorting and Recycling Mixed Flexible Packaging and Plastic Wrap

This project will further develop technology to recover flexible plastic film from a material recovery facility (MRF). Market opportunities for the recovered film will be examined and the resulting economic and environmental impacts will be evaluated. The technology to be developed in the project, if implemented broadly, has the potential of capturing almost 11 billion pounds of flexible plastic packaging and plastic wrap that is currently landfilled each year.

Project Team:
American Chemistry Council , Resource Recycling Systems, Idaho National Laboratory

18-01-RR-17

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

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

This exploratory project will develop a framework for systems analysis of PET and polyolefins in the context of a circular economy. These polymeric materials are currently recycled at low rates in the U.S., but are among the largest volumes of polymeric materials that are recyclable. The objective of this project is to develop a framework that will enable analyses of factors such as new recovery technologies that might enhance the recovery and recycle of polymers including polyolefins and PET.

Project Team:
Michigan Technological University, American Chemistry Council, Idaho National Laboratory

18-01-SA-04

Mapping the Material Base for REMADE

Mapping the Material Base for REMADE

This project will develop a materials flow baseline for REMADE materials (metals, fibers, polymers, and e-waste) to support measurement of the impact of future technology improvements through REMADE projects. A harmonized and validated set of data for metals, fibers, polymers and e-waste will be developed within a consistent framework that allows comparisons of material efficiencies across REMADE materials at all life-cycle stages.

Project Team:
Yale University, Unilever, International Zinc Association, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

18-01-SA-05

 

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