Resource preservation and material design for innovative recycling systems
Our daily products contain many valuable wood and plastic raw materials. Still many products are much too often burned at the end of their service life. A strategic product design may significantly ease a material recycling.
The established cycles of wood and plastic material insufficiently use the valuable raw materials of the recycled products. Often the service life of a product ends with an energetic use. An intelligent conversion could support the cascade use of the individual raw materials and thereby enhance their material efficiency.
Recycling of secondary materials opens up new sources for raw materials, which can significantly contribute to an availability of resources within the European Union. Several resource strategies developed during the last years on institutional and political level and sector-specific by voluntary commitments.
Low-value raw materials, like used wood or plastic recyclates, can be increased in value by a targeted recycling into new composite materials. By applying several cycles the material utilization of raw materials can be considerably prolonged.