As part of the TRANSFORM-CE project, the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht is researching application possibilities for recycled plastic. To support this research, various student groups of the school have started, each focussing of a different aspect.
In collaboration with the Green Office, a platform for students to shape sustainability ideas, a Precious Plastic recycling machine is being built. Third year students of Industrial Engineering and Management, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering are working on an extruder for recycled plastics. The purpose of the machine is to convert plastic waste of the school into usable products.
Another route that is being explored within TRANSFORM-CE is to use recycled plastic as input for 3D printing. Third year Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management students use their expertise to conduct tests with 3D printing of products made with recycled plastics. This project is done in collaboration with Protospace, experienced in 3D printing.
Subsequently, a group of students from Industrial Engineering and Management is asked to conduct market research for the use of recycled plastic in products. What does the current market for recycled plastics look like? What are the possibilities for use of this material? What are the needs of customers and consumers? These are questions that these students will be researching during the coming months.
Furthermore, three students from the minor Process Development in the Chemical Industry are researching the effects of recycling on material properties. They will focus on the chemical properties and processability of plastic after multiple times recycling.
Last, two graduate students from Creative Business have started with developing creative solutions for the recycling of single-used plastics. For example, they focus on stimulating waste separation of employees and the communication and knowledge sharing of sustainable solutions amongst businesses.
Experience gained from the various student projects will be used within the TRANSFORM-CE project and link to the different work packages. For more information about the student projects or the input of the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht in the TRANSFORM-CE project, please contact Malou van der Vegt: malou.vandervegt@hu.nl.