The Bondor Metecno Group (Bondor) and its research partners have received a Cooperative Research Centre Projects $2.7 million grant to, amongst other things, transform plastic waste into lightweight prefabricated building products.

Bondor, together with Pipemakers Australia Pty Ltd, will work with M Modular Pty Ltd and the University of Melbourne to boost the local recycling of plastic waste and improve the productivity of Australia’s construction industry.

The project, Recycling plastic waste for manufacturing prefabricated building components, will cost $8.76 million in total and runs until mid-2023. The $2.7 million grant is funded as part of round 8 of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-Ps).

Bondor Executive General Manager Geoff Marsdon said the project will have a substantial impact on the environment by reducing the volume of plastic waste lost to landfill.

“The building and construction sector in Australia consumes around 700,000 tonnes of plastics each year, which is 20 per cent of Australia’s plastic consumption,” he said.

“Less than 12 per cent is recycled and more than 40 per cent is disposed of in landfill. We can address this problem by recycling this plastic waste into lightweight prefabricated building products (LPBP).

“We plan to do this by developing an automated manufacturing and recycling process based on Industry 4.0 principles, and advanced chemical and materials handling processes.

“Not only will the developed processes reduce the amount of plastic waste going to landfill, they will also significantly reduce production costs for LPBP while enhancing the quality of the products.

“Consequently, this CRC-P will maximise the economic value of plastic resources in Australia,” Mr Marsdon said.

The project will include:

• Replacement core materials and combinations including recycled plastics being assessed by Bondor. The replacement of original plastic materials with recycled plastics (e.g. PE and PVC) will be assessed by Pipemakers.
• Development of an FE model for the simulation of buildings and their key components made with LPBPs under various loading conditions. The model will capture several multi-physical phenomena, including structural dynamics, smoke/fire development and thermal-acoustic propagation in a simple building that is manufactured with the developed LPBPs
• A comprehensive and general design guideline for incorporating local minerals and recycled plastic materials in lightweight prefabricated building products (LPBP) will be developed.
• Advanced manufacturing techniques from Industry 4.0 automated manufacturing processes will be incorporated and will include in line monitoring using non-destructive testing equipment to minimise defects
• More than 20 master’s students, three PhD students and three postdoctoral research fellows, who will be co-supervised by experts from the project partners.
  

  Pictured: Bondor MetecnoGroup’s innovative roofing solution, SecureLap®was developed in Australia for Australia’s harsh weather conditions and weather tested to AS/NZ 4046.9-2002 by the CSIRO

Bondor Metecno is Australia’s leading manufacturer of insulated wall, ceiling and roof panels. Founded in the 1950s, the group is constantly working on solutions for industrial, commercial and residential building customers across Australia and offers the most comprehensive range of insulated panel products and systems available in Australia. Having operated in the industry for 65 years, Bondor takes pride in being an Australian manufacturer.

The company’s products have been approved and tested to relevant Australian standards, while adhering to strict international regulations. Bondor has technical and support associations with several international building product suppliers, universities and research facilities in Australia and remains up-to-date with industry trends and regulations. For more information about Bondor head to www.bondor.com.au