Resource Reuse and Recycling

Industrial waste products (fly ash and slag) and by-product minerals (topaz) typically are disposed of by storage in landfill. However, these aluminosilicate materials can be transformed into a range of value-added high-performance devices for uses in the chemical, metallurgical, mining, construction, transport, nuclear, and defence industries.

UNSW SMaRT Centre MICROfactories™ are an innovation designed to transform problematic waste materials, such as glass, textiles and plastics, into new value-added materials and products such as engineered ceramic-style tiles, building panels and filament for feedstock and 3D printing, benefiting the environment and creating new economic and social opportunities.