Dive Brief:
- Washington State University has partnered with the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) that broke ground in Port Angeles, WA on Monday.
- CRTC will create hundreds of jobs at the plant that will convert carbon fiber composite scrap material, left over from transportation and other manufacturing industries, into new products. The plant will divert millions of pounds of materials from landfills.
- Peninsula College’s Advanced Manufacturing-Composite Technology training program will also have space in the 25,000-square-foot building that will house offices, laboratories, classrooms and manufacturing space for the recycling center.
Dive Insight:
Manufacturing and construction waste needs to be managed efficiently to avoid environmental problems in the industry. Concrete, wood, plastic, and glass can be easily reused and recycled if managed properly.
For its part, WSU is known for its expertise in materials science and engineering: Researcher Karl Englund has helped Global Fiberglass Solutions make composite materials from wind turbine blades and worked with Triumph Composites on a carbon fiber recycling project, WSU News reported.
Other universities have had innovative roles in the industry, as well. At the University of Colorado Denver, Professor Julee Herdt has developed BioSIPS, which are building panels created from waste material, such as hemp and food waste.
