Circular Science for Plastics
This vitally important, overarching activity will feed into and interact with all of our other projects and help catalyse new ideas from multidisciplinary inputs. Together, via SoM CE expertise, we aim to integrate, transfer knowledge and develop awareness through a toolkit for chemists, materials scientists, engineers and designers to embed CE core principles directly into the science, design and engineering of polymer products, exploring ways to introduce elements of reuse, regeneration and restoration, avoiding single use and ultimately mitigating plastic waste.
TECHNICAL Projects
These address key bulk waste stream reprocessability; non-fossil polymers; feasibility studies:
Upcycling automotive elastomeric waste residue
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: Avoid
landfill of automotive elastomeric bulk waste residues
Research Challenge: processes for new
tailored porosity materials suitable for long-life recyclable acoustic and heat
insulation materials by upcycling bulk automotive elastomeric waste residues.
Reprocessing bulk waste hard-to-recycle plastics for
added value products
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: Avoid landfill for hard to recycle durable, bulk plastics & composites Research Challenge: link structure to reprocessability for fine powders from bulk waste streams.
Sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel based plastics
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: Polymers from
sustainable sources to replace oil-based polymers
Research Challenge: novel or improved polymers
from biomass with enhanced properties
Feasibility studies
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: Generation of ‘Fresh Ideas’ by inter-disciplinary/generational teams
Research Challenge: to generate open, competitive, cross-cutting high quality research ideas
BEHAVIOURAL/LEGISLATIVE Projects
Feasibility study on household plastic waste behaviour change
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: Changing
household plastics waste behaviours towards zero waste
Research Challenge: identification of
household waste streams to produce “purer” input product
Policy intervention framework: support &
incentivise behavioural change
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: Legislations
that support and incentivise behavioural change.
Research Challenge: a policy
recommendation framework based on CE principles & evidence
An Industrial Ecology for Plastics
Need/drivers for CE Plastics: supply
chain network needs to be re-designed for value creation
Research Challenge: mapping the current state
of the plastics value chain
Public Engagement
Dissemination of our REPLACE programme activities, via web, social media, print, Workshops and Seminars.