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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	EP/W018977/1
Title	Sustainable manufacturing of circular economy elastomer products
Status	Started
Energy Categories	Not Energy Related 90%; Energy Efficiency(Industry) 10%;
Research Types	Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Professor B Chen Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Queen's University Belfast
Award Type	Standard
Funding Source	EPSRC
Start Date	18 July 2022
End Date	17 July 2025
Duration	36 months
Total Grant Value	£1,247,406
Industrial Sectors	Aerospace; Defence and Marine; Chemicals; Manufacturing
Region	Northern Ireland
Programme	Manufacturing : Manufacturing
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Professor B Chen , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen's University Belfast (99.995%)
	Other Investigator	Professor T Peijs , Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary, University of London (0.001%) Professor J Busfield , Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary, University of London (0.001%) Dr E Cunningham , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen's University Belfast (0.001%) Dr PJ Martin , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen's University Belfast (0.001%) Professor M Zhang , Queen's Management School, Queen's University Belfast (0.001%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , The Weir Group plc (0.000%) Project Contact , Croda International Plc (0.000%) Project Contact , Aditya Birla Group (0.000%) Project Contact , Colorite Europe Ltd (0.000%) Project Contact , Smiley Monroe Ltd (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract	The sustainability of rubber products is a major global challenge mainly due to the huge amount of rubber waste generated each year. Furthermore, many elastomer products including most car tyres are manufactured from fossil fuel-based materials, which are not renewable. This proposed research programme aims to tackle these challenges by manufacturing novel circular economy elastomer products from renewable biobased feedstocks, with zero waste, high resource efficiency and no reliance on fossil fuels, thus transforming the elastomer field. Two types of elastomer products will be manufactured for various applications, namely self-healing natural rubber products which can self-repair repeatedly after damage, and be reused, reprocessed and recycled after their end of life; and biobased thermoplastic elastomer products which can be reprocessed and recycled due to their thermoplastic nature. The new elastomers will be prepared and characterised, followed by the process optimisation, manufacture and evaluation of representative elastomer products using the optimal elastomers and elastomer composites as well as manufacturing processes. Subsequently, the self-repair, reuse, reprocessing and recycling behaviour of the new elastomer products will be assessed. Finally, the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the product lifecycle, product costs and the impact of the new products on the whole supply chain will be assessed. An interdisciplinary team of rubber and polymer scientists and manufacturing engineers, as well as a management scientist, will work on the programme together employing a holistic approach ranging from material design and synthesis, through to product manufacturing and finally self-repair, reuse and recycling. At the end of the programme, innovative biobased circular economy elastomer products will have been sustainably manufactured with their fundamental science and broader impact understood. The sustainable materials, manufacturing technologies, and the scientific understanding obtained from this research can be extended to other elastomer products in the future, ensuring the long-lasting sustainability of elastomer products and industry.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	03/08/22