Waste is gold that glitters: SEK 42 million for research on industrial waste
Much of today’s industrial waste is, in fact, gold that glitters. Therefore Mistra is issuing an application call for a new research programme focused on industrial waste: Mistra Closing the Loop. The purpose of this research is sustainable recovery of valuable resources from industrial waste. The investment will total SEK 42m over three years.
‘Much of today’s industrial waste is, in fact, gold that glitters,’ says Britt-Inger Andersson, Director of Idea Development at Mistra. ‘With complex waste streams and a lack of technology, our situation is acute. We need efficient, functioning closed ecological loops with low environmental and health impacts. One requirement for this is that various stakeholders collaborate to a higher degree.’In Sweden and globally, consumption is rising. With it, waste flows from Swedish industry are growing. In striving for a sustainable society, we need not only to attain higher resource efficiency but also to change consumer behaviour and create new markets for recycled, ecofriendly materials and products.
Lars-Erik Liljelund, Mistra’s Executive Director, says: ‘Mistra’s assessment is that a major potential already exists for value-enhancing processing of residuals and waste from Swedish industry to yield chemicals, materials and products. But for this to become a reality, further research is needed on, for example, new technology for sorting complex waste streams.
‘We also need financial instruments to achieve a shift from waste disposal to materials recovery,’ Liljelund concludes.
The aims of Mistra’s investment are:
- To build knowledge of resource flows in society, explore policy instruments and develop innovative technological processes for value-enhancing processing of industrial residuals and waste to yield chemicals, materials and products
- To strengthen the competitiveness of Swedish industry through innovative ‘green’ technological and materials development and greater commercial exchange
- To reduce the environmental impact of industry in Sweden and globally.
