Value-Added Material, Products and Processes for repurposing Waste (fibre, polymers and elastomers)

随着全球人口的增长，与农业和其他工业有关的环境足迹也在增加。不可再生资源正在枯竭;可用于耕种和废物处理的土地越来越少。这个问题很关键。在未来30年内，粮食产量预计将增长约70%，相应地，农业废物（作物残留物）将增加;典型的亚麻作物每英亩产量为20蒲式耳种子和1/2吨废物（秸秆），分解缓慢。此外，全球每年处置的轮胎约为1700万吨（加拿大约为63万吨）。每年，全球生产的83亿吨废塑料中只有9%被回收利用。（加拿大处置0.33百万吨）这些废物的典型处置包括焚烧，这会将毒素释放到环境中。拟议的研究旨在消除这种不可持续的有害做法，通过从废物中开发增值（VA）材料，并发现工程VA产品的特征，以创造循环经济，从而结束大多数产品的寿命。 利用废弃农业纤维（AF）、破碎的轮胎（CT）和再生塑料包装（P）可以设计出新的材料和产品。但首先，需要进行基础研究，以发现VA材料的材料特性。系统工程方法为VA材料和产品的建模和工程设计提供了材料开发、经验属性评估、制造优化和生命周期分析的广度。来自不同废物的创新VA复合材料在成分和制造方面会有所不同。例如，由通过制浆/切碎而尺寸减小的AF构成的VA材料将被真空成形或就地干燥，并且由各种尺寸的AF、CT和P构成的VA材料将使用挤出或压缩成型来成形。将研究每种VA材料的材料/机械性能（如密度、拉伸强度、刚度、韧性和声吸收）和性能/生命周期指标。经验数据和开发的数学模型将使用多变量分析和人工神经网络建模来关联材料成分、制造参数和材料特性。然后，生成的模型可用于产品工程。例如，应力-应变曲线可以在有限元建模包中使用，而其他模型用于选择材料成分和制造方法。此外，跟踪资源（材料、能源、劳动力）的流程图将评估应用的工业可行性和技术转让风险。 该研究将通过开发生态友好型产品和制造工艺减少农业和相关废物，造福公众，工业和环境。加拿大的经济增长，新的收入产生的废物流将创造循环经济，以减少污染和我们的生态足迹。

As the global population grows, so does the environmental footprint related to agriculture and other industries. Non-renewable sources are being depleted; less land is available for cultivation and waste disposal. This problem is critical. Over the next 30 years, food production is expected to rise ~70%, and correspondingly, agricultural waste (crop residue) will increase; a typical flax crop yields 20 bushels of seed and 1/2 tonne of waste (straw) per acre which decomposes slowly. Also, the annual disposal of tires is ~17 million tonnes (MMt) globally (~0.63 MMt in Canada). Annually, only 9% of 6300 MMt of waste plastic from the 8300 MMt globally produced is recycled.(Canadian dispose 0.33 MMt.) Typical disposal of these wastes involves burning, which releases toxins into the environment. The proposed research seeks to eliminate such unsustainable, harmful practices ending the life of most products by developing value-added (VA) material from the waste and discovering characteristics for engineering VA products to create circular economies. Novel materials and products can be designed from waste agricultural fibre(AF), crushed tire(CT), and reclaimed plastic packaging(P). But first, fundamental research to discover material properties of the VA material is needed. A systems engineering approach provides breadth in the material development, empirical property assessment, manufacturing optimization, and life cycle analysis for modeling and engineering VA materials and products. Innovative VA composites from the different wastes will vary in composition and manufacturing. For example VA material composed of AF that is size reduced by pulping/chopping will be vacuum-formed or dried-in-place, and the VA material composed of various sizes of AF, CT, and P will be formed using extrusion or compression molding. Material/mechanical properties (such as, density, tensile strength, stiffness, toughness, and acoustic absorption) and performance/life cycle measures will be studied for each VA materials. The empirical data and developed mathematical models will relate material composition, manufacturing parameters, and material properties using multivariate analysis and artificial neural net modeling. The resulting models can then be available for use in product engineering. For example, stress-strain curves can be use within finite element modeling packages, and the other models used to select material composition and manufacturing method. Furthermore, process mapping that tracks resources (material, energy, labour) will assess applications' industrial feasibility and technology transfer risks. The research will benefit the public, industry and environment by reducing agricultural and related wastes through developing ecologically-friendly products and manufacturing processes. Economic growth for Canada as new revenue is generated from waste streams will created circular economies to reduce pollution and our ecological footprint.