SBIR Phase I: Novel Greenroof Material Made from Recycled Solid Waste

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将研究利用简单的加工技术将使用过的一次性尿布回收为绿色屋顶材料的可行性。一次性尿布是北美弃置最多的家用产品，每年产生约400万吨固体废物。目前，只有一小部分垃圾被回收利用。传统的回收利用分离和提纯废旧材料中的每一种成分，以供后续应用，其中更高的纯度与更高的价值相关。然而，对于消费后的一次性尿布来说，由于它们的复杂性，以这种方式回收是无利可图的。建议的方法是将尿布直接加工成模块化的绿色屋顶材料，而不完全分离各个组件。与竞争产品相比，拟议的绿色屋顶产品重量轻、使用方便、抗旱、吸水率高、保留时间长、维护成本低。第一阶段的技术开发将以低成本生产和环境友好型加工为目标。这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是一个产品，将加速美国绿色屋顶市场的发展。目前，国内绿色屋顶市场有限，规模远远小于欧洲市场。国内缺乏认可度和产品成本高是造成这一现象的主要原因。商业上可用的产品在理念上都有些相似，都是将某种容器装满生长介质，然后安装在现有的屋顶上。该项目产生的产品成本低，维护要求低。该项目的相关经济和社会效益将包括减少能源消耗、温室气体排放、固体废物、减少城市热岛效应、保护栖息地和生物多样性以及保留雨水。还将考虑更广泛的市场应用，如园艺轻质生长剂、侵蚀控制产品和干旱/半干旱地区的生长剂。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will study the feasibility of recycling used disposable diapers into green roof materials using simple processing technologies. Disposable diapers are the most disposed household product in North America, accounting for about four million tons solid waste annually. Currently, only a negligible percentage of them are recycled. Conventional recycling separates and purifies each component of a waste material for subsequent applications, where higher purity is associated with higher value. For the after-consumer disposable diapers, however, it is not profitable to recycle in this manner because of their complexity. The proposed approach is to process the diapers directly into modular green roof materials without completely separating the individual components. The proposed green roof product is lightweight, easy-to-use and drought-resistant, with high water uptake, long retention time, and a low maintenance cost compared to competing products. The Phase I technology development will target low-cost production and environmentally benign processing. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be a product which will accelerate the development of the green roof market in U.S. Currently, the domestic green roof market is limited, with a much smaller size than the European market. The lack of domestic recognition and the high cost of products are the primary reasons for this. Commercially available products are all somewhat similar in philosophy, in that some kind of container is filled with growth media and then mounted on an existing roof. The products resulting from this project will be low cost and have low maintenance requirements. The associated economic and social benefits of this project will include reductions in energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste, and a decrease in the urban heat island effect, as well as habitat and biodiversity preservation, and stormwater retention. Broader market applications, such as horticultural lightweight growth medium, erosion control products, and growth medium for arid/semiarid areas, will also be considered.