Top 10 announced for Waste and Recycling Commercialisation Program

Innovyz Institute, in collaboration with Green Industries SA, has announced the 10 successful technologies and ideas selected for the company’s Waste and Recycling Commercialisation Program.

After exploring valuable research and inventions from many universities, industry associations, small businesses and backyard inventors, the technologies and ideas chosen were those that offered highly innovative and sustainable solutions to some of Australia’s most challenging and costly waste management problems and demonstrated the potential to be commercially successful, both in Australia and overseas. Seven of the 10 successful applicants were from Australian universities.

“Our waste and recycling program will go a long way towards ensuring important ideas turn into great companies and, through these companies, become commercial realities that deliver considerable tangible benefits to the world,” said Innovyz Institute Chairman Philip Vafiadis.

“The level of engagement that we have received from Australian universities has also been impressive. This is partly a result of our strong focus on creating meaningful relationships with universities, as well as the impact of recent federal government policy. This has opened up amazing opportunities for Australian invention and research to be the seeds of important new companies.”

The 10 successful applicants cover a diverse range of ideas, combined with a balanced mix of applicants from both industry and research institutes. The selected innovations and ideas include:

• a method that reduces the cost of hydrogen production by reducing the energy used;
• a software application used by brand owners and packaging designers to assess the recyclability of packaging at the design stage;
• a presetting pressure technique, along with the use of geopolymers, to increase the quality of recycled concrete;
• a 3D robust graphene composite in several different forms able to separate oil from water;
• a new technology that continuously monitors the surface temperature of plant canopies to improve water use efficiencies in orchards, vineyards and farms;
• a cost-efficient process for recycling certain PVC products and aluminium-laminated PE, such as plastic foil medical trays — something that has, until now, eluded recyclers;
• a promising new technology currently under commercial development that will significantly reduce the amount of urban stormwater pollution reaching environmentally sensitive downstream ecosystems;
• a new process that injects carbon dioxide into recycled aggregate to improve its quality and that of recycled concrete;
• a portable filtration system that collects fine particles, plaster and sediment from wastewater, preventing them from entering the water system;
• a method to remove BOD and nitrogen from wastewater that uses dramatically less energy.

The Innovyz Institute program will run for nine months, with intent to eventually launch the 10 successful companies into world markets.