Improving paint industry circularity: from waste paint to new paint opacifiers

**项目概述**这个为期6个月的工业研究项目将开发一种工艺，以回收约1900万升“不可用”的废水性涂料，使其能够作为优质、质量可控的涂料添加剂回收利用。该过程旨在将这些塑料废物从家庭垃圾流中清除，并为循环经济做出重大贡献。这种回收方案将为涂料行业带来减少碳足迹的好处，并减少进入垃圾填埋场或焚烧的涂料废料。** ** **水性废漆规模背景**英国每周产生100多万升废漆，其中大部分被填埋/焚烧；只有有限数量的这种废物被再利用或再制造。涂料行业对英国经济非常重要，提供就业机会，对GDP做出重大贡献，是向世界其他地区出口的重要行业。油漆为保护表面和提供美观的装饰提供了重要的功能。然而，该行业的碳足迹是显著的。全球对装饰涂料的需求正在增长，随之而来的是废物产生和碳足迹的增加。三分之二的英国家庭垃圾回收中心（hwrc）不接受油漆，而是建议公众将其作为剩余废物处理，然后将其运往垃圾填埋场；在那些接受油漆但不将其送到回收或再利用计划的公司中，填埋/焚烧仍然是主要的处理途径。废旧涂料的使用已被确定为减少行业碳足迹的关键途径，但由于有限的再利用和再制造选择，从垃圾填埋场/焚烧中重新定向废旧涂料对于hwrc来说是有限的，主要是由于对剩余涂料的不良认知，这些涂料可能被认为质量不如“新”涂料。即使这种看法可以得到解决，并且油漆的重复使用有所增加，由于降解或污染的状态，目前有超过三分之一的废弃油漆不适合使用现有技术进行重复使用或再制造。

**Project Overview**This 6-month industrial research project will develop a process to recover an estimated 19m litres of 'unusable' waste waterborne paint, allowing it to be recycled as premium grade, quality-controlled paint additive. The process aims to remove this plastic waste from the household waste stream and make a significant contribution to the circular economy. This recycling option will deliver benefits in a reduced carbon footprint for the paint industry and a reduction in paint waste going to landfill or incineration.**Background to the scale of** **waste waterborne paint**More than one million litres of waste paint is generated each week in the UK, much of which goes to landfill/incineration; only a limited quantity of this waste is reused or remanufactured.The paint industry is very important to the UK economy, providing employment, contributing significantly to GDP, and is a great exporter to the rest of the world. Paint provides a vital function for protection of surfaces and to provide decoration for aesthetic appeal. However, the carbon footprint of the industry is significant.Global demand for decorative paints is growing, with a subsequent increase in waste generation and carbon footprint. Two thirds of UK Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) do not accept paint, instead advising the public to dispose of it in residual waste, which will then go to landfill; of those that do accept paint - but do not send it to recycle or reuse schemes - landfill/incineration remains the primary disposal route. Use of waste paint has been identified as a key way to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry, but redirection of waste paint from landfill/incineration is limited for HWRCs due to the limited reuse and remanufacture options, largely due to the poor perception of leftover paint, which might be considered to be of inferior quality to 'new' paint. Even if this perception can be addressed and there is an increase in paint reuse, more than one third of waste paint is currently unsuitable for reuse or remanufacture using current technology due to the state of degradation or contamination.