Queen’s leads €5m European effort to ReNEW approach to waste

A €4.88 million research project at Queen’s University Belfast is aiming to recover valuable materials from the estimated 5.2 tonnes of waste each person in the UK generates each year.

Known as ReNEW, the QUESTOR Centre at Queen’s is leading the project and is working with the Department of the Environment and Belfast City Council to identify the needs of Northern Ireland’s waste management industry and facilitate innovation among SMEs in the waste sector. Through the project the DoE will fund a new member of staff for WRAP (the Waste Resources Action Programme) to develop policy areas related to resource recovery.

ReNEW (Resource Innovation Network for European Waste) is a European initiative to bring together researchers, public authorities and businesses to explore new ways to extract valuable resources - such as metals, nutrients and chemicals - from household and industrial waste.

Dr Elaine Groom at Queen’s is General Manager of QUESTOR, an industry-collaborative centre for environmental research. She said: “Europe produces an estimated 5.2 tonnes of waste per person each year. This includes around 600-700 kg per person of domestic waste and 17 kg per person of electrical goods waste. Much of this waste contains valuable resources, so we are missing a huge opportunity by simply disposing of it and sending it to landfill.

“Mobile phones, for example, are a valuable source of gold. Per gram, mobile phones contain more gold than gold ore - the average household has 22 g of gold lying around in old mobiles. Similarly, valuable chemicals can be extracted from food waste and used to make bioplastics; while the extraction of phosphorus - a key ingredient in fertilisers - from food waste is becoming more and more important due to the depletion of natural phosphorus sources and increased mining costs.

“Waste is big business, and the recovery of valuable resources from waste presents huge opportunities for SMEs in Northern Ireland and across Europe. Many, however, face barriers in their efforts to develop new techniques for resource recovery. The best ideas require input and support from many disciplines - industry, entrepreneurs and scientists. ReNEW aims to bring these disciplines together to facilitate partnership working in the development of new technologies that will benefit the environment, the economy and society.

“Waste represents a problem and an opportunity. While many businesses are aware of this, the limited options for processing waste present huge challenges which they cannot overcome by themselves. Through the ReNEW project, QUESTOR and partners will work with companies across Europe to raise awareness of the opportunities in this area and to showcase and further develop new techniques for resource recovery. Ultimately, waste companies will become providers of raw materials, and we at QUESTOR will help them to be at the forefront of that journey.”

ReNEW is part funded by the European Union’s INTERREG IVB North West Europe scheme. Partners were required to provide 50% matched funding - this was mainly provided from local government agencies or in house.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: “This project will develop our knowledge base and skills to attract investment and allow our businesses to compete globally. We need to move faster and be decisive in accessing EU funding opportunities.

“The ReNEW project yet again highlights the potential value of waste when it arises. Considering waste as a resource will assist in making our society more sustainable and resource efficient, resulting in jobs and benefits to our economy and the environment.”

The QUESTOR centre has also been awarded €3.8 million to lead a four-year project to develop research and training for the European biogas industry. It will develop new technologies for the biogas sector to enable Europe to implement its Energy 2020 strategy and to address the challenges of increasing energy demands and costs.