Successful first year for TRaCE scheme

The Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) program has attracted $117 million in industry co-funded R&D projects in its first year, including hydrogen produced from seawater and ‘green ceramics’ created out of textile waste.

TRaCE is led by UNSW Sydney and the University of Newcastle (UoN). The two universities have been working closely with industry partners since being awarded $50 million in funding under the Australian Government’s Trailblazer program in 2022.

The results of their efforts were showcased in Sydney on 5 March, with a range of innovative technologies in the process of being brought to market.

Assistant Minister for Education Anthony Chisholm, who spoke at the launch of the TRaCE showcase, said the program will contribute to the creation of 5200 regional jobs and boost the economy by up to $15 billion over the next 20 years.

“TRaCE’s projects will help Australia and the world find new and effective ways to transition to sustainable recycling and clean energy solutions and systems,” Chisholm said.

Among the projects on display were the ‘green ceramics’ created by Kandui Technologies in collaboration with UNSW Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla. Theses safe and sustainable bio-composites from waste textiles and mattresses can be used as alternatives to cut stone in kitchen benches and construction products.

“Our proven success in transforming other problematic waste into valuable source material for engineered products paved the way for our collaboration with Kandui,” Sahajwalla said. “Using science and our revolutionary MICROfactorie waste-to-product technology, our engineers were able to develop a new generation of high-performance, non-toxic, engineered bio-composites that can be used in buildings, as furniture and for various architectural and decorative applications.”

In another TRaCE program project, Vecor Technologies is exploring advanced materials research and systems for hydrogen generation. This includes research into improved processes for producing hydrogen from seawater as a valuable resource for commercially viable renewable hydrogen generation.

Current technologies for hydrogen production using seawater require the use of expensive membranes to separate dissolved ions from seawater and produce pure water before splitting can take place.

Using dedicated research laboratories established by Vecor, UNSW’s Professor Charles Sorrell, Dr Yue Jiang, Associate Professor Pramod Koshy and Dr Sajjad Mofarah have developed novel catalytic materials for seawater splitting, providing a safer means of hydrogen production.

Their process avoids the creation of highly toxic and corrosive chlorine gas — previously a major disincentive for research into seawater splitting — and also the generation of oxygen, preventing the danger of hydrogen and oxygen forming an explosive mixture.

Professor Rose Amal, Associate Professor Jason Scott and their teams at UNSW are also conducting research into hydrogen — in this case to demonstrate renewable hydrogen-from-waste techniques that can provide a viable waste-to-energy system to overcome water scarcity and waste management in remote areas.

“A distinct advantage of our technology is how it can overcome the need for a clean water source to produce renewable hydrogen through electrocatalytic water splitting,” Scott said, adding that the demand for clean water for drinking and agricultural purposes is high in many regional and remote communities that often experience drought.

“If we can use a waste stream to generate hydrogen in place of the clean water, we can distribute electrocatalytic water splitting for clean energy in various locations, including in those that are remote or subject to arid weather conditions. A further benefit is waste stream management.”

In addition to the existing co-investments in R&D Projects, TRaCE will deploy $67 million in transformative programs including R&D support and startup/SME funding, along with education and skills training programs focused on developing the critical skills required in the emerging energy economy.

For more information about the projects, visit trace.org.au.

Image credit: iStock.com/marchmeena29