All Courses

  • A Systems Analysis of Plastics in The Global Economy

    Dr. David Shonnard, Director of the Sustainable Futures Institute, Michigan Technological University, will present an introduction to the global waste plastics problem, (PET and olefin plastics - polyethylene, polypropylene) and contrast linear versus circular economy for plastics. 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. Dr. Shonnard will also summarize his REMADE-funded project goals in an update to REMADE’s July 2019 webinar.

  • Materials Disruption Possibilities, Now & Into The Future

    Join Yale University’s thought leader and expert in industrial ecology, Thomas Graedel, as he shares his perspective on the possible disruption of materials supplies and why the future of metals availability is such a complex topic—one that depends upon a mix of geological knowledge, materials science, technology and economics.

  • A Systems Analysis of Plastics in The Global Economy: 2020 Update

    This REMADE project has assembled a team of systems analysis (SA) researchers and industry partners to carry out this exploratory project. The project is lead by David R. Shonnard, Department of Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Futures Institute, Michigan Technological University. The webinar will present an introduction to the global waste plastics problem, (PET and olefin plastics - polyethylene, polypropylene) contrast linear versus circular economy for plastics and summarize the REMADE exploratory project goals and tasks. 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.

  • Design for Reman - Real World Challenges and Opportunities

    Brought to you by the Remanufacturing Industries Council and the REMADE Institute The ability to recover, reuse, remanufacture, or recycle components depends heavily on how those components are designed. However, end-of-life remanufacturing is often not considered until most fundamental design decisions—such as materials selection and component structure—have already been made, which can limit remanufacture and recycling potential. Please join us for a Design for Reman webinar with Jeff Stukenborg, Chief Engineer at WABCO Reman Solutions and Steve Holden, Manager of Application Engineering & Special Projects at Carlyle Compressor. During the hour-long webinar, we’ll discuss the challenges of designing for remanufacturing, the importance of making reman a design consideration and examples of successes with designing remanufacturing for multiple life cycles.

  • Solar Modules End-of-Life: Challenges and Opportunities

    Solar energy is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. However, the installation of new systems is rapidly being scaled up and may create tremendous amounts of e-waste at the end of their lifespan. Recoverable waste from US solar modules was estimated to be cumulatively $3 to $19 million in 2016 and projected to be worth $450 million by 2030 and $15 billion by 2050. In this webinar, Dr. Paul Leu will present an overview of the photovoltaic (PV) module end-of-life management with an emphasis on recycling. Dr. Paul Leu is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He leads the Laboratory for Advanced Materials at Pittsburgh and has won the NSF CAREER Award.

  • Increasing Secondary Alloy Usage in Aluminum Die Casting Industry

    Secondary aluminum is playing an increasing role in the global economy, particularly in countries with long histories of aluminum usage. In fact, since 2001, secondary aluminum production in the United States surpassed primary aluminum production with many positive benefits such as lower cost, energy savings, and environmental stewardship. However, limited quantities of secondary aluminum alloys are presently used in the die casting industry because of the higher concentrations of residual contaminants such as iron and zinc in the secondary materials compared with primary aluminum. This webinar will provide an overview of the current secondary aluminum and die casting industries. Additionally, the seminar will present the latest progress on two REMADE-funded research projects. Dr. Alan A. Luo is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Integrated Systems Engineering (Manufacturing) at The Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, OH. Prof. Luo is an elected Fellow of the American Society of Metals (ASM) and the Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE). He has 20 patents and more than 290 technical publications on advanced materials and manufacturing, specializing in lightweight materials and applications. Dr. Emre Cinkilic is post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, OH. Emre graduated from OSU with a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in May, 2019 (advised by Prof. Alan A. Luo).

  • Chemical Recycling of Plastic Waste 101

    More than eight billion tons of plastic waste has accumulated worldwide over the past 50 years. The majority (80%) of the waste goes directly into landfills and 3% ends up in the oceans. At the current rate, we will end up having more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Plastics are persistent in the environment and degrade slowly (over a century), releasing fragments, microplastics, and toxic chemicals into our lands, rivers, and oceans. In particular, single-use packaging, textile, and composite plastic such as e-waste are attributed to more than 50% of the plastic waste. Learning Objectives: The state-of-the-art of plastic recycling technologies and current bottleneck of conventional plastic recycling The state-of-the-art of various chemical recycling methods for different plastic wastes (e.g. pyrolysis, chemolysis, hydrothermal processes, and solvent extractions) The current industrial applications of different chemical recycling technologies Short Course Parts: Plastic Waste Issue and Chemical Recycling Solutions Chemical Recycling Methods: Conventional Recycling Methods & Chemolysis Chemical Recycling Methods: Hydrothermal Processes

  • Mechanical Recycling Testing, Extruding, and Recovery

    Mechanical Recycling Testing, Extruding, and Recovery In this short course, we will provide an in-depth overview of mechanical recycling technologies capable of converting plastic waste into high value products. This course targets newcomers to the field of plastics recycling and should be of interest to more experienced personnel or technical personnel from adjacent industries looking to use more recycled plastics in their products. Learning Objectives: Understand the common plastics, their uses and key waste streams containing end-of-life plastics Understand the circular economy of plastics and how mechanical and chemical recycling approaches might relate to each other Understand the technical requirements for recycled plastics Identify the key process steps used for the mechanical recycling of plastics Identify and understand the role and limitations of common methods suitable for separating plastics from each other Understand the key considerations and technologies for the extrusion of recycled plastics Understand the key limitations of mechanical recycling and approaches to overcome these limitations Understand the key approaches for rapid characterization of plastics Understand test methods to determine the key mechanical properties of plastics Short Course Parts: Recovering Value from End-of-Life Plastics Extrusion in Plastics Recycling PET Mechanical Recycling Plastics Testing in Recycling

  • Flexible Plastic Packaging: Industry Landscape, Challenges and Opportunities

    Margaret Sobkowicz, an Associate Professor of Plastics Engineering at UMass Lowell, is presenting this flexible plastic packaging short course. The use of flexible and multilayer plastic packaging has been increasing over the past several decades. This type of packaging is highly functional, but it presents challenges in the conventional plastics recycling paradigm. With global concerns over single-use plastics waste, there is an urgent need to understand these flexible materials and how to improve their collection, sorting and reprocessing. This short course will cover the composition and structure of typical flexible packaging types and discuss current options for recycling these materials. Learning Objectives: Understand the current flexible plastics packaging landscape Gain knowledge about the what, how, and why of materials used in flexible plastics packaging Discover challenges in recycling this class of materials Learn about emerging industry options for recovering value Short Course Parts: Introduction to Plastics Packaging Industry and Trends Toward Flexible Film Materials and Properties of Flexible Plastics Packaging Processing and Mechanical Recycling Challenges Advanced Recycling and Material Options for Sustainable Flexible Packaging

  • Introduction to Circular Economy and Systems Analysis

    Dr. David Shonnard, Michigan Technological University, presents an introduction to the Circular economy and Systems Analysis, covering goals, links to sustainable development, and supporting literature. This short course further illustrates these concepts through a case study on the global waste plastics problem, (PET and olefin plastics) and contrasts linear versus circular economy for plastics. 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. Learning Objectives: Introduce sustainable development and links to circular economy Understand the goals and different concepts of a circular economy Link the learner to additional literature and online resources Increase knowledge of systems analysis methods, tools, and applications Show examples and results of environmental life cycle assessments (LCA) Introduce techno-economic analysis (TEA) with plastic recycle application Apply systems analysis to minimize PET material flow GHG emissions Short Course Parts: Introduction to Circular Economy and Systems Analysis Case Study of PET and Olefin Polymers in a Global Circular Economy

  • Plastic Flows Through a MRF

    The focus of this short course will be on the processes followed at Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) as it relates to current recycling rates. Designed for new engineers or skilled technicians in the recycling industry. May also be of special interest to participants working in adjacent industries.

  • End-of-Life and the Circular Economy

    This short course focuses on the various options for recovering end-of-life plastics and areas where there is opportunity to improve recycling and recovery. Participants will also gain important context for understanding plastic waste streams and current recycling rates. Designed for new engineers or skilled technicians in the recycling industry. May also be of special interest to participants working in adjacent industries.

Previous Next