Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), is a tough, chemically resistant, ductile material used in engineering product applications to impart favourable mechanical properties. Recycling this material is complicated by inconsistent grades of material across different application spaces, thermomechanical and thermo-oxidative degradation during reprocessing (especially when contaminated) and challenging separations as the material is usually installed in a multi-material object or as a blend (i.e. PC-ABS in the automotive industry). This project will explore RC3, RC4 & RC5 through the lens of establishing an intersectoral material transition of high-grade ABS materials from the automotive to the E&E sector, developing proof-of-concept depolymerisation pre-treatments of laminates to give material inputs into new manufacturing systems. Authenticated by LCA and supported by quality analytics and additives to retain mechanical strength. With Polestar, BEKO, Numatic, Milliken, SABIC.

Engineering plastics are extracted in vast numbers at the end of life of buildings, automobiles & appliances. Despite being fully working components these are sent to landfill or incineration because it is the cheapest option. With the increasing extended producer responsibility (EPR) and the UK Carbon Emission Trading scheme due to come into operation in 2028, the economics of this waste are set to change dramatically this decade. In this project, we bring together research challenges RC2, RC3, and RC5 to develop scanning and AI methods to automatically assess and identify components, update their digital passport and assess aesthetics & properties as well as other attributes. We will develop tools to certify the fitness for reuse (RC3) as well as their economic value (RC5) to current supply chains (RC2), as well their environmental benefits (RC5). With AMDEA, BEKO, Tech Take-Back, etsaW, SUEZ.

The paucity of data on the potential value of engineering plastics leads to paralysis and inaction in the sector. The inability to share compositional data without risking proprietary information prevents industry collaboration. This necessitates a two-pronged approach to data management, which involves both RC4 & RC5. The first is the development of platforms to help identify and share key information to enable compositional data to inform decision-making, including improving sorting, regulatory reporting and compliance. The second is to exploit these rich data sets to feed AI-empowered decisions and machine learning (ML), from improved sorting and robotic disassembly to real-time extrusion compounding monitoring of recycled plastics (e.g. inline rheometry, spectroscopy) linked via ML to property prediction for targeted upgrading to product specification, using minimal virgin/additives. AI models will identify degradation patterns and predict recyclate variability to tune optimal additive mixtures required to reduce variability and restore properties. Real-time adaptive process control would allow systems to adjust parameters (temperature, pressure, additives) during moulding. With KMF, NETZCH, Greyparrot, Biffa, LGC, Vanden.

This project addresses RC1, RC3 & RC5 with innovative technologies that enable the efficient disassembly of bonded multi-material components common in automotive, aerospace, construction & consumer electronics. Challenges in separating materials (metals, plastics, glass, composites) as parts or components hinder recycling, repair & reuse. We will focus on novel disassembly methods based on thermal, light or chemical (pH) triggers. Reversible adhesives, tie-layers and laminates that transition between bonded and debonded states under controlled conditions will be built from our existing toolbox of dynamically cross-linked networks (Diels-Alder, disulfide, transesterification reactions, disulfide bonds, reversible H-bonding, vitrimers) as components in multi-material products with target mechanical properties, adhesion strength and reversibility. The outcome could revolutionize product lifecycle design, enhancing reusability, repairability & recyclability while reducing environmental impact. With Cyensco, Reactive Components, Vita, Collins, JLR.