In a bid to ease pressure on Australia’s growing landfill, Sydney researchers have developed a world-first way to turn plastic and glass from used cars into highly valuable materials.
The process begins in Newcastle where cars are stripped.
The ultimate destination for things like laminated glass from used cars is landfill.
It is a complex material, made up of both glass and plastic, but work from the University of New South Wales means these once unrecyclable objects can now be turned into ferrosilicon, a high value product used to manufacture silicon steel, which is then used to make products such as electric motors.
The journey begins in Newcastle where stripped material from cars at a recycling plant is sent to Sydney, where it is treated at high temperatures.
Researcher Professor Veena Sahajwalla says it is essential action to help reduce Australia’s expanding waste deposits.
“I think it’s a great responsibility but also a tremendous opportunity,” she said.
“So our research is really about taking that as a resource and looking at how scientifically we can actually allow us to convert that into high value products.”
The work will be presented at a scientific conference in the United States today.
