Project description
Innovative recycling technology for glass waste
Glass recycling practices rely on mature technology that demands significant energy to melt large quantities of glass. This heavy-duty system is rigid, allowing only specific types of glass to be recycled. The EU-funded EVERGLASS project seeks to pioneer a novel technology for on-site glass recycling, called glass laser transformation: this facilitates the infinite reuse of glass. This innovative approach, distinct from traditional centralised recycling, involves users inputting waste into a machine and selecting a desired new product. The technology transcends current system limitations, adopting an eco-friendly model that accommodates flexibility in materials and processes. EVERGLASS revolutionises recycling, addresses user participation issues by personalising recycled items, and advocates for glass as a superior material compared to environmentally problematic plastics.
Objective
"Glass recycling uses mature technology limited by high energy consumption to melt tons of glass and the inflexibility of a heavy-duty system. Current technology only allows the recycling of certain glasses and a very small amount of waste generated. A new technology is required to allow the integral recycling of all types of glass, drastically reducing the carbon footprint. EverGLASS proposes to develop a radically new technology called ""glass laser transformation"" for on-site glass recycling and the generation of customized or technical products. Users will feed waste into a new machine and select which new product to get. The vision is ambitious, as it aims to bring to the consumer market a novel technology to enable virtually infinite reuse of glass. It is also radical since, through a multipurpose system capable of being located on any site, it proposes an alternative approach to the traditional centralized recycling process (particularly where this model is not possible, generating thousands of tons of glass waste annually taken to landfills). The new technology goes beyond the current limitations of the systems (high energy use, expensive and rigid process, strong logistical requirement), adopting a highly environmentally friendly model that will allow flexibility in the use of the material and in the process. Therefore, EverGLASS has the potential to revolutionize recycling as a concept. It also addresses one of the main problems with recycling, user participation, in an innovative way by allowing the personalization of recycled items of different use. Finally, it aims to encourage the use and reuse of glass as a quality material, displacing more environmentally problematic materials, such as plastics. This project brings together experts from advanced laser technologies (UVIGO), glass and ceramics science (ICV-CSIC), glass processing and engineering (TnUAD), risk and impact assessment (ACTALIA), Social Sciences (ESCI) and numerical simulation (ITWM)."
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC GrantsCoordinator
36310 Vigo Pontevedra
Spain