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RIGHT: AMGC director, Michael Sharpe.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Professor Veena Sahajwalla
Reinvention of Australian manufacturing
PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITY
One area of opportunity where Australia could lead the world is in the reuse and recyling of lithium-ion batteries, an area of waste that is growing at a rate of 20 per cent each year.
A new battery recycling industry could tackle Australia’s annual 3300 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste, a CSIRO report said.
Currently only 2 per cent of Australia’s annual lithium-ion battery waste is recycled. If recycled, 95 per cent of components
can be turned into new batteries or used in other industries.
“As a world leader in the adoption of solar and battery systems, we must responsibly manage our use of lithium-ion technology in support of our clean energy future; CSIRO has set out a pathway to do this,” CSIRO battery research leader Dr Anand Bhatt said.
“The value for Australia is three- fold. We can draw additional value from existing materials, minimise impact on our environment, and also catalyse a new industry in lithium-ion re-use/recycling.”
Dr Bhatt and his team are working with industry to make this happen. Australian Battery Recycling Initiative CEO Libby Chaplin said the report came at a critical time to
help industry shape a product stewardship scheme for the energy storage sector.
THE POTENTIAL OF emerging technologies was discussed at a University of NSW summit explor- ing the reinvention of Australian manufacturing.
New technology offers a major opportunity for the Australian manufacturing industry to trans- form into an innovative and collaborative net- work, producing high value, sustainable materi- als that can deliver real economic benefits, according to Michael Sharpe, the NSW director of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) at UNSW Sydney.
Industry leaders from CSIRO, NSW Environ- mental Protection Authority (EPA), Innovative Manufacturing CRC, UNSW Science, Engineering and others met for the AMGC’s Path to Advanced Manufacturing event that featured researchers and manufacturers leading discussions on emerg- ing manufacturing trends and the future of an in- dustry undergoing fundamental change.
“One-in-10 Australians are employed in man- ufacturing and this number will continue to grow,” Sharpe said.
“Collaboration is now essential for manufac- turing. We are breaking down barriers by get- ting industry and researchers working together and producing new materials and processes.”
The expanding links between academics and local manufacturers was highlighted by Profes- sor Veena Sahajwalla, director of UNSW’s Cen- tre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre.
“The SMaRT Centre partnership with AMGC has allowed UNSW to work with businesses in- cluding e-waste recycler TES and mining man- ufacturer Moly-cop, and realise that manufac- turing is entering a new phase where big and small business work together,” she said.
Professor Sahajwalla emphasised that the new recycling and reforming process can be transported and relocated easily, or relocated to where a stockpile or suitable site exists or work in combination with “mega-factories”.
“Microfactories deliver critical materials so they not only regenerate materials out of plastic, glass and other waste but incorporate it as part of the process. New technology can produce high perfor- mance materials, such as ceramics, out of waste resources, and shows us the possibilities for manu- facturers to create completely new surfaces.”
New materials, critical parts and components can then be exported to the rest of the world, contributing to an ecosystem that supports the economy and is part of the global supply chain.
“Growing and creating new products ena- bles business of all sizes to develop innovative solutions building on the back of existing practice. It starts at a grass roots level,” Profes- sor Sahajwalla said. ✺
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