Waste to wealth: The use of plastic waste to produce cheaper and better interlocking paving blocks

变废为宝：利用塑料废物生产更便宜、更好的联锁铺路砖

• 批准号: 74927
• 金额: $ 7.63万
• 依托单位: RENES-CARTES ENERGY AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTING LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: CR&D Bilateral
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=74927
• 关键词: Waste; wealth; use; plastic; waste

Nigeria is the largest waste generator in Africa, generating about 2.5million-tons/annum, with Lagos, the major culprit of the 36 states. 70% of plastic waste that ends up in landfill gets burnt to reduce volume for increased landfill capacity. 60% of Lagos' 18million population live in slums and below $1/day. Waste-pickers collecting plastics (sort/wash/pack) to sell to recyclers is a common sight in landfills. Lagos state supports the picking due to its desire to increase recycling. However, with few recyclers and too many pickers, supply is outpacing demand leading to ridiculously low prices of around 15naira/kg (i.e. 3-pence) of sorted/washed/packed waste plastics.Popularly used for community-roads, driveways, parking areas, airports, etc., interlocking paving blocks market in Nigeria is worth over 3-millions dollars (Market Publishers 2018). They are cement based and mostly only affordable to rich people/communities or governments due to high costs. Production also consumes natural resources with high cost and embodied carbon (lime through cement, and sand). This project seeks to develop more affordable interlocking paving blocks, produced from recycling 'unwashed' plastic and little sand with u.v. stabilisers to prevent degradation. This will lead to higher prices for 'unwashed' plastics and support better/safer/healthier/more-estimable means of plastics aggregation.

尼日利亚是非洲最大的废物产生国，每年产生约250万吨废物，其中拉各斯是36个州的主要罪魁祸首。70%最终进入垃圾填埋场的塑料垃圾会被焚烧，以减少垃圾体积，从而增加垃圾填埋场的容量。拉各斯有1800万人口，其中60%住在贫民窟，每天的生活费低于1美元。拾荒者收集塑料(分类/洗涤/包装)出售给回收商是垃圾填埋场的常见景象。拉各斯州支持采摘，因为它希望增加回收。然而，由于回收商很少，拾取者太多，供过于求，导致分类/洗涤/包装的废塑料价格低得离谱，约为每公斤15奈拉(即3便士)。尼日利亚联锁铺路砖市场普遍用于社区道路、车道、停车场、机场等，价值超过300万美元(市场出版商2018)。它们是以水泥为基础的，由于成本较高，大多只有富人/社区或政府才能负担得起。生产还消耗高成本和具体化碳(石灰、水泥和沙子)的自然资源。该项目旨在开发更实惠的连锁式铺路砖，这种砖是通过回收未清洗的塑料和带有UV的少量沙子生产的。可防止降解的稳定剂。这将导致‘未清洗’塑料的价格上涨，并支持更好/更安全/更健康/更可估量的塑料聚合方式。