Circular Economy Research and Development Fund – Funded projects

Announcement date: 21 June 2022

Agpath Pty Ltd

This project proposes to better understand the potential for a range of organic amendments to improve soil health and plant yield.

Funding: $297,000

Cirque du Soil

This project seeks to develop fertiliser products derived from food waste diverted from landfill through rigorous soil and plant testing trials

Funding: $165,776

Elmore Compost and Organics

The project will establish a deep soil amelioration research and demonstration trial site in dryland grains cropping on clay soil in north central Victoria.

Funding: $232,000

Gaia EnviroTech

This project aims to address two key barriers that currently prevent anaerobic digestion from being commercially viable in Australia.

Funding: $300,000

Terra Nova Ag

This project focuses on developing an integrated recycled organics Sub Soil Amelioration (SSA) solution that can be easily deployed across a wide range of cropping operations in the medium and high rainfall zones of Victoria.

Funding: $300,000

Waste Mining

This project will use anaerobic digestion to treat separated food waste, the resulting end product, digestate, will be utilised as a nutrient source for growing spirulina for human consumption and duckweed for animal consumption.

Funding: $300,000

Announcement date: 6 October 2021

ARRB Group

This project will investigate the use of an aggregate blend incorporating recycled glass to reduce the volume of imported treated natural aggregate and the add value to recycled glass fines to make the use of High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) more sustainable and affordable by road agencies and local governments.

Funding: $81,000

CSIRO

This project will develop material specifications for uPVC recyclate with PVC compounders and manufacturers and develop a prototype device that will analyse the composition of PVC recyclate and determine what compounds need to be added to a particular input blend to achieve an output that meets the developed standard.

Funding: $300,000

Deakin University

The objective of this project is to maximise the amount of recycled polypropylene (PP) that can be incorporated into Gale Pacific’s existing product the ‘Landmark polyfabric’. Testing and evaluation will be undertaken to determine the maximum amount of recycled PP that can be used without adversely impacting the final product.

Funding: $255,000

Monash Institute of Railway Technology

Monash Institute of Railway Technology will partner with Integrated Recycling, Advanced Circular Polymers, Pandrol and the Australian Rail Track Corporation to develop the next generation advanced composite plastic railway sleeper, as a concrete sleeper alternative for mainline railway networks in Victoria.

Funding: $500,000

Monash University

This research project will develop reinforced recycled plastic modular platform elements for tram stop platforms.

Funding: $300,000

RMIT

In this project, an innovative approach to control the dimensional instability of cardboard sections will be developed from core engineering principles. This theoretical approach will be augmented by strengthening and testing cardboards in the laboratory. These strengthened sections with proper connections will be used to construct a truss. This proof-of-concept design and application will be tested to Australian Standard loading conditions in the laboratory and evaluated by industry partners with practical application to case study sites.

Funding: $91,168

RMIT

This project aims to develop a low carbon concrete containing pre-treated cardboard waste as partial replacement for natural coarse and fine aggregates. This mix-design will be developed for adoption in a light and efficient precast wall panel system which is capable of being used in multi-unit residential and commercial constructions.

Funding: $200,000

RMIT

This project aims to develop roof purlins by sandwiching reinforced plastics between two timber veneers, and lightweight composite panels for roof solar systems using recycled glass for integrating Photovoltaics. The two proposed products will optimise capture and use of recycled materials in standard building and construction materials and processes.

Funding: $200,000

Swinburne University of Technology

This project will develop a new process for recycling polystyrene with tyre crumbs to manufacture performance enhanced composite products. The aim is to develop waffle pod spacers and reinforcing alignment products for residential housing slabs made out of recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) and tyre crumb.

Funding: $200,000

Swinburne University of Technology

This project will explore new applications for utilisation of recycled plastics in innovative bedding solutions, including frames and mattresses. Micro fibre reinforced recycled plastic will be employed with the novel design of modular ROBOBED features to enable manufacturing of bedding componentry with structural performance equivalent or exceeding the existing solutions made of foamed plastics or wood timber features.

Funding: $300,000

Victoria University

This project will investigate the utilisation of blends of recycled glass, plastic, and tyre, as well as construction & demolition wastes (CDW) as backfilling materials in sewer infrastructure embedded in expansive clay in order to minimise the potential subsidence or settlements in “trafficable areas”.

Funding: $220,000