GLObal Conference for Women Leaders and Emerging Researchers in Materials Science

UNSW SMaRT Centre Director Professor Veena was a keynote speaker at the GLObal Conference for Women Leaders and Emerging Researchers in Materials Science in Signapore.

Hosted by the Singapore Nanyang Technological University's School of Materials Science and Engineering, the event celebrates the achievements of women in materials science and chart a course for further empowerment.

Veena shared the SMaRT Centre vision for a sustainable future, highlighting the importance of creating a circular economy and how using waste as a resource must be at the centre of our manufacturing future and innovative decarbonisation efforts, in collaboration between researchers and industry.

She highlighted that using innovations such as UNSW SMaRT Centre's recycling and MICROfactorie^TM technologies that recover valuable materials from waste and reform them into new manufacturing feedstock and products through collaborators, are central to help achieve the sustainability needed for the future.

Event website

Veena's speech abstract:

Abstract Waste is a resource that is waiting to be harvested through innovative pathways — it marks the beginning of renewable materials that could be regenerated for green manufacturing. Buried in discarded products when they reach the end-of-life or become obsolete are metals, polymers, and ceramics which could be remanufactured into new products, which are currently being pursued for single streams of materials where they are converted back into the same. However, our products are complex and contain mixed materials and are deemed as too hard to recycle and considered as not economically viable due to limitations of existing approaches. True sustainability demands we harness this potential and transform waste into a resource stream for advanced manufacturing. Instead of relegating waste to landfills, incinerators, or stockpiles, we must reimagine it as the cornerstone of a circular economy — one that drives innovation, supports local industries, creates jobs, and delivers environmental and social benefits. 

This presentation explores how so-called “end-of-life” materials can be transformed into high-value resources for sustainable production. SMaRT Centre is pioneering advanced technologies that align recycling and manufacturing of materials and products to deliver real-world impact. Through our science of microrecycling, we are able to challenge the norm, and have demonstrated that we could transform materials in manufacturing processes themselves. Among its most ground-breaking innovations is Green Steel Polymer Injection Technology™ (PIT) , which enables the release of in-situ hydrogen and solid carbon from waste tyres in the making of green steel — a sustainable alternative to coke and coal in steel production [1]. This approach reduces the carbon footprint of steelmaking [2].

The Centre’s Green Steel™ Polymer Injection Technology (PIT) also enhances electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking efficiency, and lowering reliance on coal and coke which are typically used as sources of carbon [3][4][5]. Through its science of microrecycling, SMaRT has developed modular, innovative solutions including MICROfactories™ that address some of the world’s most problematic waste streams — including plastics, textiles, glass. These systems are already delivering measurable impact, transforming low-value, nonmetallic waste into durable Green Ceramics™ used in the built environment [6][7]. One of the advancements is the selective thermal transformation of waste materials into nanomaterials, such as metal oxides, and carbons through innovative techniques that introduce disruptions to the original structures of materials by controlling in-situ materials reactions. These nanomaterials can be repurposed for high-value applications, particularly in energy storage and supercapacitors [8][9][10][11]. This not only presents a strong economic opportunity but also delivers significant environmental benefits, proving that sustainable innovation and industrial value can go hand in hand. 

SMaRT technologies and MICROfactories™ could drive materials circularity which could lead to industrial transformations enabling green materials to become mainstream in manufacturing — where waste becomes a renewable resource, reshaping the landscape of green manufacturing. New green supply chains could be developed to become a part of the ecosystem for remanufacturing, by forging pathways towards more sustainable industries that are good for the planet and people. 

References: 

[1] M. Assefi et al., "Regeneration of hydrogen through thermal micronisation of end-of-life polymers for sustainable reduction of iron oxide," Fuel Processing Technology, vol. 226, p. 107038, 2022. 

[2] S. Biswal, F. Pahlevani, S. K. Bhattacharyya, and V. Sahajwalla, "A novel reforming approach of utilizing spent coffee grounds to produce iron," Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 163, p. 105067, 2020. 

[3] A. Fontana et al., "Injection of Recycled Rubber Tires in the EAF as Foaming Slag Agent at CELSA Group," Proceedings of the EEC, 2016. 

[4] "Polymer Injection Technology (PIT)," InfraBuild. https://www.infrabuild.com/resources/sustainability-resources/polymer-injectiontechnology-pit/. Accessed April 8, 2025. 

[5] T. Echterhof, "Review on the use of alternative carbon sources in EAF steelmaking," Metals, vol. 11, no. 2, p. 222, 2021. 

[6] "Fighting macro problems, the micro way," Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining. https://www.iom3.org/resource/fighting-macro-problems-the-micro-way.html. Accessed January 8, 2024. 

[7] "Bespoke, sustainable surface materials for the built environment," KANDUI Technologies. https://www.greenceramics.com.au/. Accessed April 8, 2025. 

[8] V. Sahajwalla and R. Hossain, "The science of microrecycling: a review of selective synthesis of materials from electronic waste," Materials Today Sustainability, vol. 9, p. 100040, 2020. 

[9] K. Hassan, R. Farzana, and V. Sahajwalla, "In-situ fabrication of ZnO thin film electrode using spent Zn–C battery and its electrochemical performance for supercapacitance," SN Applied Sciences, vol. 1, pp. 1-13, 2019. 

[10] S. Maroufi et al., "Tailoring of a highly stable Mn₁₋ₓ₋ᵧ(CeₓLaᵧ)O₂₋δ pseudocapacitor thin-film and rare earth oxide nanospheres through selective purification of rare earth oxides derived from Ni–MH batteries," Green Chemistry, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 1659-1672, 2022. 

[11] Sarkar, M., et al., Electrochemical Compatibility of Microzonal Carbon in Ion Uptake and Molecular Insights into Interphase Evolution for Next‐Generation Li‐Ion Batteries. Advanced Energy Materials, 2024. 14(38): p. 2401977.