Every day, we buy, use and dispose of products that end up as landfill. Unfortunately, the resources required to make new products won't be available in large amounts forever. Through the EU-funded ResCoM project, four well-known companies have already analysed the extent to which they could adopt a circular approach.
Bauxite residue - the by-product from the extraction of aluminium from bauxite ore - has the consistency of thick, red mud. Disposing of this waste poses a serious problem for industry, as does the risk of spills. But red mud can also be a source of critical metals. The REDMUD project intends to turn residues into low-carbon building materials - and to train researchers along the way.
Businesses using robots for short-term manufacturing assignments will be interested in a service developed by EU-funded researchers that can custom-design affordable robots. Businesses will be able to either lease or buy the robots for quick installation.
Remember when there were no satellites? Before your time, maybe, as the first was launched in 1957. Today, we would be lost without them - quite literally so, but satnavs are only one of many services these orbital outriders underpin. EU-funded research is helping to secure Europe's access to the carbon fibre materials needed to build them.
High-performance biocomposites derived from wheat straw and recycled paper? EU-funded researchers have developed new materials and components based on substances isolated from these renewable residues. They have also found a way to extract silica from the straw, offering a greener alternative to current production methods for this compound.
Catalysts are essential for a lot of chemical production processes, accelerating and enhancing chemical reactions to produce plastics, medicines and fuels more efficiently. Now, thanks to EU-funded research, catalysts are being made more precise and effective with potentially significant benefits for industry and the environment, not least through the development of ultra-clean fuels.
The EU-funded InnoRenew Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Slovenia will foster research on the innovative and efficient use of renewable resources in building materials.
