REMADE announces $33M in research grants

Research concept with test tubes and dropper with liquid.

The fifth round of funding from the REMADE Institute will go to 23 projects. | Alex Traksel/Shutterstock

Novelis, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Resource Recycling Systems and a number of other familiar recycling industry names are involved with projects that received federal funding.

The REMADE (Reducing Embodied-Energy and Decreasing Emissions) Institute on Dec. 1 announced 23 projects that will receive funding. The grants constitute the fifth round of funding from the REMADE Institute, a public-private partnership established by the U.S. Department of Energy. The institute’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing by supporting recycling, reuse and remanufacturing.

In this latest round, REMADE announced $33 million, a sum that’s cost-shared between the energy department and the grant recipients.

REMADE announced its fourth round of funding in March. According to the latest press release, REMADE plans next year to take applications for the sixth round of funding.

The following are the projects funded in this fifth round:

Metals

“Enhanced Processing of Aluminum Scrap at End-of-life via Artificial Intelligence & Smart Sensing,” an project involving Solvus Global, Energy Research Company (ERCo), Eck Industries, Mercury Marine, Novelis and Schnitzer Steel Industries.

“Recycling and Refining of Aluminum Foils and other Difficult Scraps,” a project by Oculatus Consulting, Phinix, Eck Industries, and GPRL R&E.

“Development of Manufacturing Technologies to Increase Scrap Steel Recycling into New Tires,” a project by Arizona State University (ASU) and Michelin North America.

Plastics

“Low-Cost, High-Value Aromatics from Upcycling of Polyolefins Through Microwave Catalytic Processing,” a project by West Virginia University and Braskem America.

“Recovery of Plastics and Natural Fibers from Non-Recyclable Municipal Solid Waste for Composites Production,” a project by the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Auburn University, Washington State University, Remacol, CPM Extrusion Group, and DTG Recycle Group.

“Education and Workforce Development on Chemical Recycling of Plastics,” a project by the University at Buffalo (UB) and Resource Recycling Systems.

“Catalytic Upcycling of Polyolefins,” a project by the University California Santa Barbara and BASF.

Textiles

“Development of an Automated Method for Disassembly and Separation of Apparel for Recycling,” a project by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Nike.

Electronics and electrical goods

“Fast Diagnostics to Enable EV Battery Reuse,” by ReJoule and Renewance.

“Automation for Remanufacturing of Battery Modules,” by RIT and BigBattery.

“Improving Recycling Efficiency of Portable Electronics by Automating Battery Disassembly,” a project by INL, Sunnking, UB, and Iowa State University (ISU).

“Design for RE-Solar,” by the University of Pittsburgh, University of California-Irvine (UCI), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), First Solar, Alfred University, Yale University, Sunnking, Aluminum Association, and ERI.

“Recycling Technologies for Silicon Solar Modules,” by ASU, First Solar, and TG Companies.

Equipment remanufacturing

“High Speed Laser Cladding Repair Process Development,” by RIT, Caterpillar, and Synergy Additive Manufacturing.

“”Development of Hybrid Repair and Nondestructive Evaluation Technologies for Aerospace Components,” by RIT, ISU, The Ohio State University, Simufact, Hybrid Manufacturing Tech, Proto Mfg., and Pratt & Whitney.

“Hybrid Laser Processing for Metallic Surface Remanufacturing,” by ISU, University of Nevada-Reno, and Volvo.

“Development of Computational Tools for Predicting Seam Weld Integrity in Thick-Walled Hollow Aluminum Extrusions,” by Secat, Lehigh University, University of Kentucky, and Taber Extrusions.

“Development of a Novel Design for Remanufacturing Software Plugin for CAD,” by RIT, Caterpillar, BorgWarner (Delphi), Trane Technologies, ZF Group (WABCO), Remanufacturing Industries Council (RIC), and Autodesk.

“Data-Driven Design Decision Support for Remanufacturing of High-Value Components in Industrial and Agricultural Equipment,” by ISU, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mississippi State University, John Deere, and the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association.

Systems and supply-chain analysis

“Building a Sustainable Supply Chain of Materials for the U.S. Healthcare Sector,” by The MITRE Corporation, Braskem, Mycocycle, Covanta, and Antea Group.

“A Technical Evaluation Framework for Recycling Technologies,” by the University of Michigan, NREL, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), The Plastics Industry Association, The Aluminum Association, and the Steel Manufacturers Association.

“Modeling reverse flows of selected recycled materials, their associated energy use and their GHG emissions: An application to California and a blueprint for the US,” by UCI and TruckPay.com.

“Course on Systems Thinking for Material Management: Benefit and Tools,” by the Georgia Institute of Technology, Yale University, NREL, GreenBlue, and The Aluminum Association.