Cutting waste
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CORDIScovery podcast- Episode #19 - Cutting waste
This is an AI transcription.
00:00:10:05 - 00:00:16:02
Abigail Acton
This is CORDIScovery.
00:00:16:04 - 00:00:36:14
Abigail Acton
Hello. Welcome to this episode of CORDIScovery With me, Abigail Acton. Today we are looking at three novel ways to cut back the waste we produced by repairing, reusing and recycling. Did you know that it takes 3 to 4 tons of nitrogen rich substrate to grow a ton of mushrooms? There's a lot of it. Over three and a half million tons are generated in Europe every year.
00:00:36:18 - 00:00:57:15
Abigail Acton
What happens to that once last mushroom has been picked. Recycling is a key battleground in combating climate change, but how can we sort through everything to reclaim what can be reused? Currently, metals like aluminum, gold, silver and zinc can't be economically recovered from mixed recycling. Most recyclers do not have a sustainable solution to the separation and recovery of these valuable resources.
00:00:57:21 - 00:01:21:14
Abigail Acton
So how can that change? And then there's industrial plastic in Europe, 1.9 billion items like plastic crates and pallets are used by transport companies, and there are more than 20 billion plastic bins used on our city streets. When any of these break, that's thrown away billions of wasted items every year. What if they could be repaired cheaply and effectively and then be reused?
00:01:21:16 - 00:01:46:09
Abigail Acton
Used to treat all three guests whose work has been supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program are doing their part to come up with innovative solutions. Tim Gent is the managing director of Cresco, a UK glass recycling company that is using X-ray fluorescence, shape recognition and machine learning to make recycling more efficient. Tim's interest is in how to make the circular economy more of a reality.
00:01:46:12 - 00:01:47:21
Abigail Acton
Welcome.
00:01:47:23 - 00:01:49:05
Tim Gent
Hello, everybody.
00:01:49:07 - 00:02:03:01
Abigail Acton
The commercial editing director of the Spanish company Plastic Repair Systems, Alfredo Neila has set out to make repairing industrial plastic objects such as crates and pallets more financially viable than throwing them away. Hello, Alfredo.
00:02:03:03 - 00:02:04:00
Alfredo Neila
Good morning.
00:02:04:02 - 00:02:16:11
Abigail Acton
Pablo Martinez is one of the brains behind Smart Mushroom, which has come up with a new way of treating the waste produced by the mushroom growing sector, transforming it from the environmentally challenging byproduct to a valuable resource. Pablo, welcome.
00:02:16:16 - 00:02:17:11
Pablo Martinez
Hello, everybody.
00:02:17:15 - 00:02:39:04
Abigail Acton
Hi. Let's get to it. Tim, I'm going to start with you. One of the biggest problems recycling is face is sorting the mingled materials so that the reclaimed final product is pure. The OMR project is putting in place advanced technologies to help make the whole process more efficient. So, Tim, how did you get involved in the idea of extracting non-ferrous metal from glass waste?
00:02:39:10 - 00:03:00:22
Tim Gent
Whereas a glass process that we process about 20% of all the glass bottles in the UK for recycling back into glass bottles, which is a really good system that's evolved over many years. Throughout those years, we've had a byproduct from that we called aluminum tops that we screw on the top of the lid. We also have aluminum closures, that kept mixed in.
00:03:00:24 - 00:03:11:08
Tim Gent
There are also other metals in there which are a contamination to our aluminum. If we want that aluminum to be reused, we have to clean it to an inch of its life. So this is good as raw material.
00:03:12:05 - 00:03:20:02
Tim Gent
And that's the challenge that interested me, because it's a very valuable product and it's a challenge to get it clean enough to reuse.
00:03:20:04 - 00:03:30:06
Abigail Acton
Right. So prior to your work on this project, when you were first sort of beginning to realize that there was a resource there that was just not being harnessed effectively, what was happening to all the aluminum?
00:03:30:10 - 00:03:52:11
Tim Gent
The aluminum, a lot of it was going to landfill because it wasn't economically viable to recycle. In the last few years, it's been going into aluminum smelting furnaces just as a weighbridge ticket. But actually when it gets in the furnace because it's so thin, it disappears and smoke and ash up the chimney. So we are kidding ourselves if we think that's being recycled.
00:03:52:11 - 00:03:55:14
Tim Gent
It isn't. It's okay. And a pollutant at that point.
00:03:55:16 - 00:04:08:15
Abigail Acton
Right. Okay, great. So there was clearly a problem that needed to be addressed. So can you tell me a little bit about the techniques that you were using already in the glass sorting and how then you you adapted and reformulated those ideas to apply to metal extraction.
00:04:08:15 - 00:04:28:15
Tim Gent
So to make sure our glass is clean enough, we have to use an X-ray fluorescence system which analyzes the molecular structure of the glass to make sure that it isn't like crystal or zirconium based glass, which is he treated. Neither of those are good in the furnace. One doesn't melt and one puts too much light into the container, which just for human consumption.
00:04:28:17 - 00:04:51:12
Tim Gent
That machine we found could also differentiate between different non-ferrous metals. So we were able to separate the aluminum from zinc lead copper brass that was also present in that waste stream. We can't separate that material by hand in Europe is too expensive, so the material ends up being, as I said earlier, sent to landfill or sent to China.
00:04:51:12 - 00:05:14:06
Tim Gent
India, hugely valuable resource being wasted if you can make that happen using technology, then you're onto a winner because technology whilst is very expensive, it runs 24 hours, seven days a week and it's repeatable and you can guarantee the end product, the quality of the end products absolutely essential for our business to guarantee the quality of the end product.
00:05:14:10 - 00:05:16:14
Tim Gent
You can only do that with technology, right?
00:05:16:14 - 00:05:34:12
Abigail Acton
So I mean, once you've invested and put it in place, then it takes care of itself, as it were, apart from maintenance. So that's the X-ray technology that we're using. But I think you were using other really quite cutting edge means of sourcing and also a great speed. Tell me a little bit more about the actual process and how it unfolds in your plant.
00:05:34:16 - 00:05:55:16
Tim Gent
Okay. So the glass comes in to us. It's in very poor condition hugely contaminated with paper and and other non glass items. Our plant covers two acres. Wow. So we put it in a hopper at the beginning and it goes through grading, which is really just a mechanical. We then use magnets for ferrous and current separator for the non-ferrous.
00:05:55:21 - 00:05:58:20
Tim Gent
We have camera technology, x ray technology and laser technology.
00:05:59:00 - 00:06:03:18
Abigail Acton
What was that separator you just mentioned after the magnetic separator? Said Eddy Current I think. What does that mean?
00:06:03:19 - 00:06:18:04
Tim Gent
Yeah, the only current separator so that is a drum that's a meter and a half long weighs about a third of a tonne. Wow. It spins at 3000 reps per minute and it generates an electronic field around non-ferrous metal.
00:06:18:06 - 00:06:19:18
Abigail Acton
Okay. And then what happens?
00:06:20:02 - 00:06:24:02
Tim Gent
it is repelled, so it literally jumps into the air by a conveyor belt. Right.
00:06:24:04 - 00:06:26:07
Abigail Acton
fascinating
00:06:26:09 - 00:06:42:00
Tim Gent
And as the metal passes over, it has no effect whatsoever on the glass because it's not it's not a metal and non-ferrous metal, brass, copper, all of those metals has the same because it's an electronic reaction. Right. Repels it and it jumps off of the belt onto a neighboring belt.
00:06:42:00 - 00:06:42:24
Abigail Acton
Fantastic.
00:06:43:01 - 00:06:47:16
Tim Gent
And put it into a bay sort of thing system. So it's magic. It isn't obviously.
00:06:47:16 - 00:06:51:00
Abigail Acton
It's it's always like it's sort of leaping out of the container and volunteering itself.
00:06:51:01 - 00:06:58:03
Tim Gent
Yeah, it's it's quite funny because this is quite high value material and it's just jumping out of the conveyor belt right at you.
00:06:58:08 - 00:06:58:16
Abigail Acton
Yeah.
00:06:58:22 - 00:07:02:23
Tim Gent
So yeah, it seems it seems a waste not to do something more exciting with it and put it to landfill, you know?
00:07:03:00 - 00:07:13:21
Abigail Acton
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So then that that goes down a process through this large plant that you, what you were mentioning you said, I think I also believe that you're using machine learning and shape recognition. No?
00:07:13:23 - 00:07:34:09
Tim Gent
Yes. And that's because some of the contamination in the aluminum lids with the tops is coated with copper. It's actually zinc, but it's coated with copper or chrome. And sometimes it looks like brass, like a door handle. But but it isn't, It is zinc underneath. And you can't put that in the brass because it looks like brass.
00:07:34:11 - 00:07:35:14
Abigail Acton
Right.
00:07:35:16 - 00:07:44:09
Tim Gent
You have to know what that is. So even if you did have people trying to saw that material, they would think that it was brass. The machine, however, knows that it is not.
00:07:44:15 - 00:07:45:20
Abigail Acton
And how does it know that?
00:07:45:22 - 00:08:05:10
Tim Gent
It knows that because it can analyze the surface. And if the surface coating is too deep, then you can look at the shape. So if we find a contaminant, a piece of zinc in the copper, then then we show that to the machine and say, next time you see this, we don't want it.
00:08:05:16 - 00:08:06:12
Abigail Acton
Fantastic.
00:08:06:12 - 00:08:07:09
Abigail Acton
00:08:07:11 - 00:08:26:10
Tim Gent
And that takes a while because but but everything is repeated in recycling. Everything. There isn't a one off. There is an well, we've never seen this particular door handle before. That doesn't happen. So once you've got that databank of material and and objects, you can then file them simply because of their site recognition.
00:08:26:16 - 00:08:35:21
Abigail Acton
Excellent. Fantastic. And does the machine also is that also the place where it would be able to identify that even though something looked like brass, it wasn't brass or is that a further step in the process?
00:08:35:24 - 00:08:45:13
Tim Gent
No, it has to be a combination of the two. So you can say, look, this looks like a a brass coin, but in actual reality it is an existing washer.
00:08:45:15 - 00:08:56:07
Abigail Acton
Right. And but, but the shape would be the same. So the shape learning the machine recognizes. Okay, find the shape. Now, you want me to do this with that? Because you've programed me and you've told me that's what you want. But how can it tell what the material actually is?
00:08:56:13 - 00:09:04:23
Tim Gent
It's doing that by the x ray, so you've got x ray and shape recognition and they work together. That combination tells you what actually as well.
00:09:04:23 - 00:09:22:11
Abigail Acton
It's absolutely fantastic. It sounds a marvelously high tech approach. And I don't know, I mean, many of us have thought in the past of of recycling as being perhaps quite manual and are not necessarily quite so cutting edge. So this is very interesting, but it must have taken a lot of trial and error before you refined your approach.
00:09:22:11 - 00:09:29:01
Abigail Acton
So you're talking about a high degree of precision. How long has it taken you to get to the point where you can be as precise as you're describing this project?
00:09:29:01 - 00:09:30:16
Tim Gent
So far? It's taken three years.
00:09:30:18 - 00:09:33:02
Abigail Acton
Right? And prior to that, what was this building on?
00:09:33:05 - 00:09:42:19
Tim Gent
This is building on the experience that we've generated within the glass processing process. Very much the same technology, but just slightly different use. And that's being taken two years in the building.
00:09:43:00 - 00:09:51:07
Abigail Acton
Right? So indeed, so this is a long evolution and I suppose obviously it must be the case that there's new technologies coming online that are that are helping you.
00:09:51:10 - 00:10:03:10
Tim Gent
Well, I love this business is the new technologies. We help develop it. We tell people what we need. We use crossover technology, we introduce in our plant and we make it work by share, determine Tyson.
00:10:03:12 - 00:10:18:16
Abigail Acton
And passion. Absolutely. Excellent. Okay. And the impact of all this hard work. Now, do you have some idea, Tim, can you tell us some statistics? For example, do you have any idea of how much you're managing to save from landfill than wasn't being saved before? Any idea of the quantity of change that you're making yet?
00:10:18:21 - 00:10:31:07
Tim Gent
Surprisingly enough, if you take the aluminum lids alone on the bottle in the UK, we produce over 100 tonnes per week from our recycling operations across the industry.
00:10:31:09 - 00:10:34:20
Abigail Acton
And then that goes back into into being used as quality aluminum.
00:10:34:22 - 00:10:50:19
Tim Gent
All of that goes back into a food grade application, but it's a recycled content now. So it takes an awful lot of boxes. Interestingly though, there is this technology can then be used to sort other streams of mixed non-ferrous metals, which traditionally have all gone to China.
00:10:50:22 - 00:10:59:07
Abigail Acton
Okay, great. So we're not exporting our problem and we're also keeping within our own value chains a valuable resource. So yeah, win-win.
00:10:59:08 - 00:11:20:18
Tim Gent
Exactly the driver to this Abigail is resources. This is getting very, very political, especially this year. These resources, most resources that we need in this country come from organizations and countries that may not particularly like us. And we're not only are we buying these resources off of them, in some cases when we finish and we're giving them back.
00:11:20:21 - 00:11:24:08
Tim Gent
Right. It's absolute insanity. We have to stop doing that.
00:11:24:10 - 00:11:30:13
Abigail Acton
Is almost as if we're just renting them, as it were. Yeah. Yeah. Super. Okay. And where to next for Recresci then?
00:11:30:15 - 00:11:53:02
Tim Gent
So once we feel we've completed the plant and we've proved its concept, this is repeatable. This is a Europe wide problem. This can be repeated right across Europe. There are hundreds of thousands of tonnes each year of mixed Non-ferrous metals are being sent to China and India for ease over there. We should be sorting this here in Europe and using it in Europe.
00:11:53:04 - 00:12:01:09
Abigail Acton
Fantastic. Okay. And we seem to be focusing on bottles and tops and things like that, but the aluminum itself, where will that end up, Do you think?
00:12:01:11 - 00:12:19:08
Tim Gent
The aluminum content of packaging has to have a recycled content and that's where it will go being driven. The consumer is driving this and demanding a higher recycled content in packaging. So this will be returned to packaging. So the recycled content is higher.
00:12:19:11 - 00:12:30:04
Abigail Acton
Okay, that's great. So that's the aluminum and other metals returning back potentially to the industries that were initially using them. But could they perhaps be destined for completely unrelated industries?
00:12:30:04 - 00:12:50:24
Tim Gent
Yeah, all manufacturing requires a recycled content nowadays. So we're now seeing recycled materials have a premium value over and above raw materials, simply so that the claim can be made that our vehicle, our airplane, our toys, they're all have this value because of the recycled content within them.
00:12:50:24 - 00:13:14:10
Abigail Acton
So it's a very strong selling point to say, yes, indeed. I mean, you see it also in the computer sector. Yeah. Yeah. One more question for you, Tim. If there was one industry barrier to the successful uptake of the product that is coming out of your recycling plants, what is it? What is the one bottleneck when it comes to actually trying to get your material back into the system?
00:13:14:12 - 00:13:40:17
Tim Gent
I think people have to accept that the recycle content costs a lot to get it to the quality they require and we need to see the value, the true value of the recycled content. It should be premium it is in places, but it's not enough. There isn't a shortage of recycled material. There's just a lack of value if you pay the true value so that you're covering the costs of the recovery, then this material will all be recovered.
00:13:40:19 - 00:13:49:03
Tim Gent
The only reason it goes to China is because it is the cheapest route. So we need to recognize the value of the recycling industry adds to this material.
00:13:49:05 - 00:14:08:01
Abigail Acton
Fantastic. Thank you very much, Tim. That's that's interesting and also very clear and surprisingly cutting edge. I thought that was absolutely fascinating. Thank you. Alfredo I'm going to turn to you now. The PRS project has developed an innovative way to repair industrial plastic items, restoring their former quality and strength and keeping them out of landfill and incinerators.
00:14:08:05 - 00:14:12:13
Abigail Acton
So can you tell us a little bit more about the problem, Alfredo? What were you trying to change?
00:14:12:15 - 00:14:39:09
Alfredo Neila
Yes, what we have detected is that in Europe there are about 1.9 billion plastic boxes of pallets generally called RTP or thermal transport packaging. They're used all over the industries, like you name it, the automotive food industry pull in. And we saw that 10 to 15% of this park, huge park was being damaged. And when damaged, there was basically two options.
00:14:39:09 - 00:15:02:21
Alfredo Neila
One, you throw them away land field And the second option, which is a good option, the circular economy is recycling. Now, when you recycle these elements, there are two issues. One is that you have 3.73 kilos of CO2 emissions per kilo of plastic recycled, which is considerable.
00:15:03:02 - 00:15:03:21
Abigail Acton
Yes, indeed.
00:15:03:22 - 00:15:27:01
Alfredo Neila
And the second one is the economic part. Like when you have to grind a recycled plastic and then inject it again, that's a significant cost. So the value proposal of plastic repair systems have two main pillars. So one is the sustainable pillar. So instead of 3.3 kilos of CO2 emissions, we have 12 grams. Wow.
00:15:27:03 - 00:15:28:03
Abigail Acton
That's a huge difference.
00:15:28:13 - 00:15:45:01
Alfredo Neila
huge difference. So if you consider this this amount, we're talking about a four 410,000 million tonnes of plastic every year and you translate this into CO2 emissions, we're talking the billions. And so the scope is just huge.
00:15:45:03 - 00:15:45:12
Abigail Acton
Right?
00:15:45:12 - 00:16:10:23
Alfredo Neila
So, so what we have done is we have developed our own technology and we have been able to manage the green variety of these breakage. So at the end this will have a such a standard product. So each package is different and we see that the main issue we have a business case here was to handle this variation, right?
00:16:11:00 - 00:16:21:02
Alfredo Neila
So that's why we are, yeah, in this technology, the basic technology was there, but we have a newer technologies to kind of like solve this.
00:16:21:04 - 00:16:41:07
Abigail Acton
Okay, So basically, obviously things are broken in different ways and each type of break requires a different way of repairing by the nature of it, that must present a vast diversity of problems to solve. So for example, if something is snapped slightly or something is is warned through because of too much friction, it's a completely different mechanical problem for the solution.
00:16:41:07 - 00:16:48:08
Abigail Acton
I would imagine. So tell me a little bit more about the system that can actually interpret what this object needs in order to be repaired.
00:16:48:10 - 00:17:11:02
Alfredo Neila
This is very much like what Tim was mentioning. We are also like relying heavily in the new technologies and artificial vision and machine learning. So basically what we do is we we have like a we go step by step. We have first of all, we, we have like a family of of of components and a family of of breakage.
00:17:11:04 - 00:17:34:20
Alfredo Neila
So we we start like feeding data to the machine. And the more data we feed the machine, the more then the machine and the algorithm is able to, to detect and to classify different types of of wreckage. And with different types of wreckage, we have different processes. So that's, that's the key thing. That's that, that's the base. And then in parallel, we are kind of like going deep with each technology.
00:17:34:20 - 00:18:00:05
Alfredo Neila
We have our own thermal welding technology, we produce our own material, we go in automation also for some other types of breakage. We have several partners. We set our machines. So that's that's our scope, right, to kind of like, first of all, to handle the variation. And once we have that, if I go through an industrial process, we so we can make a viable economical system.
00:18:00:10 - 00:18:12:09
Abigail Acton
Okay. And do you find that there are many objects that you get that you just can't repair because your machines can't interpret what the problem is? Or is it the case that that 100% of the broken items that come to you are repaired? How does that work?
00:18:12:11 - 00:18:41:06
Alfredo Neila
No, actually, what we do is when we classify, we put aside the plastic, those, let's say, really damaged. And this is a borderline with economic availability. And what we do is we have them as donors. So we do some taxes when this like big damages would cannibalize these very damaged components. We take parts of it and we we kind of transplant them to to a receptor to to another component.
00:18:41:06 - 00:19:01:01
Alfredo Neila
So those are likely the cases where we can, like somehow manage the very damage and save somehow more of the not that severely damaged components. So long story short, we have about 80 to 90% recovery rate average. Yeah.
00:19:01:03 - 00:19:15:16
Abigail Acton
Well, that sounds very that sounds very significant. And what happens so industry comes to you with with a collection of a stockpile of broken objects and ask is you repair or do you buy those broken objects from an industrial source and sell back? How does that work?
00:19:15:18 - 00:19:21:23
Alfredo Neila
Well, no, not at all. Yes. And we're like that. I wish they could work like they would come to us. So this is.
00:19:21:23 - 00:19:23:09
Abigail Acton
Only was so simple.
00:19:23:11 - 00:19:40:23
Alfredo Neila
This is a hidden way. So this is something that they don't see as a waste. So they do they recycle. They think, okay, we're okay. We're in the circular economy process, but they don't see that this can be enhanced and improved. In some cases, they're like the percentage that it's not viable to repair. So you have to recycle.
00:19:40:23 - 00:20:08:05
Alfredo Neila
And so that's still an option, but the vast majority you can repair. So what we have to do is, first of all, raise awareness of how things can be done. And actually, it is surprising that so many big companies that are so much into sustainable eating, they don't know about this. And even when they know it takes a quite a bit of time to kind of go through their decision making process to go ahead.
00:20:08:07 - 00:20:24:01
Alfredo Neila
Right. But once they see this goes very fast. So right now we're scaling really, really fast because everybody or the main customer base that we have that are facing, yeah, they're buying it and they're like.
00:20:24:03 - 00:20:35:02
Abigail Acton
Yeah, because once they've tried it and see how it works, then they're into it. Yes, I get that. Okay. Yeah, super. And so where to next for your company? What are you actually doing right now? You say you're scaling up. Yeah. How's that going?
00:20:35:07 - 00:21:04:03
Alfredo Neila
Well, right now I'm talking to him from Mexico where he we are going to hear also growing very fast in Mexico and the government regulatory system or the regulatory frame. It's not that focused on sustainability, but since Mexico is exporting 80% of its production to the US and they used to strike, you know, the the carbon footprint in the supply chain, I mean, all companies exporting to the US are forced to kind of like this.
00:21:04:03 - 00:21:19:15
Alfredo Neila
So we have a very good reception of this, of this concept. We have an aggressive and commercialize that. We are going to still have the business in Europe, in the Americas for the next three years or until about 10 to 30 new plants.
00:21:19:17 - 00:21:20:19
Abigail Acton
Wow. That's quite a lot.
00:21:20:22 - 00:21:44:07
Alfredo Neila
Yeah. Yeah, that's that tells you a little bit What's the reception of of Yeah. This of this idea and and in terms of our product development what we are doing we're going to, let's say cheaper simpler systems that are economically speaking very difficult to repair, but we are kind of like automating and do our processes and we are able to do some of this.
00:21:44:07 - 00:21:47:24
Alfredo Neila
So we're expanding our portfolio of, of systems.
00:21:48:01 - 00:21:50:12
Abigail Acton
So when you say systems, you mean items. Yeah, right.
00:21:50:15 - 00:21:53:16
Alfredo Neila
And the packaging systems are coordinated and separate.
00:21:53:16 - 00:21:56:10
Abigail Acton
Okay. So you're broadening the scope of what you can actually take on.
00:21:56:10 - 00:22:16:15
Alfredo Neila
Yeah, indeed. So we are going deeper to right now we have the lesser, the big items, crates, pallets and so on. They're quite heavy about 36, 30 kilos, £60 and up. And right now we are going with items that are a few kilos. So that's also giving us a future projection and we need grow.
00:22:16:17 - 00:22:33:18
Abigail Acton
Right. But it must be quite a technical headache as well because if you're been repairing items that are very big and now you're going towards things that are much smaller, then presumably you need to to think again about how everything is scaled up. But anyway, it sounds fascinating. Does anyone have any questions for Alfredo? Tim, Yes.
00:22:33:20 - 00:22:54:15
Tim Gent
Alfredo, do you do you find that your product gets the respect it should do being as it's recovered and recycled? I noticed earlier you mentioned that trying to get people to buy your products instead of brand new ones. And is it getting easier to to sell your your items because they are recovered.
00:22:54:18 - 00:23:15:03
Alfredo Neila
Yeah, actually, yes, that's an issue at the beginning. But we went through this process already. So we have a very big customer know if I can say the name here, but this is the biggest sporting company in the world. We have to solve a lot of problems for them. And we have a very strong, let's say, reference there.
00:23:15:03 - 00:23:42:21
Alfredo Neila
So at the beginning, indeed, it was extremely difficult to do this because their identity, security wise very critical. I mean, if you pile this these items in our supply chain of 6 to 8 meters, something goes wrong. They followed it, continue the person. So this is a very critical thing. But we have certified a method. We have possible certifications, you name it, ISO line plus and federal authorities in the US.
00:23:42:23 - 00:23:53:11
Alfredo Neila
And that's that's actually a competitive advantage to us. It's a barrier. Let's say we do this well, we can prove it and it's not that initiative. That's a very good system. Thank you.
00:23:53:13 - 00:24:10:06
Abigail Acton
Thanks, Yes, that's a good point. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I'm going to turn to Pablo now. So we've been thinking about glass and metal and we've been thinking about plastics. Pablo, Now we're going to think about organic waste with you because your project Smart Mushroom, is dealing with a problem that I suspect most of us haven't even thought of when we're tucking into a mushroom omelet.
00:24:10:12 - 00:24:19:20
Abigail Acton
And that's what happens to all the growing material once the last mushroom is harvested. So tell us more about the problem. Where do mushrooms come from and what is left behind?
00:24:20:01 - 00:24:46:17
Pablo Martinez
Okay, first I would like to remark that the mushroom cultivation is a serious sector in itself because it uses to receive some byproducts from agriculture like cereal, straw and livestock, a chicken or a horse manure as a source of nutrients to elaborate the substrate for cultivating mushrooms. But the yes mushroom cultivation generates also residues from its kilo rounds.
00:24:46:18 - 00:25:04:07
Alfredo Neila
Mushrooms produce that are generated 3.3 kilograms of a spent mushroom. So straight. Wow. Okay. Which means 3.70 million tons annually in Europe. So this is a very large amount. It has 3 minutes indeed.
00:25:04:09 - 00:25:08:08
Abigail Acton
Why can't we just take it back out and put it straight back on fields?
00:25:08:12 - 00:25:32:17
Pablo Martinez
As you have said before, it could be used in agriculture by adding it to the soil. So strictly a However, Nitrates Directive seven is also a limit that makes that quantities of have spent, much of which we cannot be simply sprayed in soils next to mushroom grow as facilities as there is a high risk of water pollutions or releases by nitrogen.
00:25:32:19 - 00:25:55:01
Abigail Acton
I see. So that's the problem with just trying to just spread it around on the soil. Okay, So you see a large quantity of this waste product which just can't be put back outside and spread around because it's very nitrogen rich. So what caused you to to see this problem and to feel that you wanted to to try and find a solution?
00:25:55:03 - 00:26:15:15
Pablo Martinez
Okay. So I'm I'm absolutely convinced that it's necessary to finding solutions to monitor waste generated by humans, of course, while reducing the rate of waste to avoid the negative impacts on the moment. This topic is related to my personal interest. I love the countryside and nature and this spaces needs to be present.
00:26:15:17 - 00:26:16:18
Abigail Acton
Okay.
00:26:16:20 - 00:26:35:13
Pablo Martinez
Of course. I also think that it's essential to demonstrate that recycling technologies can bring an economic benefit to the sectors that are generating this. And there's bloated waste because from my point of view, profitability is going to be the key aspect to promote the economy and increase that positive reaction of many stakeholders.
00:26:35:18 - 00:26:42:01
Abigail Acton
Yes, just exactly what Tim was saying. Yes, indeed. So what was the solution that Smart Mushroom has come up with to deal with this problem?
00:26:42:01 - 00:27:25:09
Pablo Martinez
Then the aim of the project was to develop an organic pellet types fertilizer. Better to perform this activity. The spend mushroom substrate must have less than 20% moisture content. So we were looking for a profitable and environmentally sustainable process to reduce the humidity of the material. So the process instead has two different phases. First, the spend model, interest rate is used as a raw material to produce biogas into an anaerobic digesters, and after this is states, the biogas produced is used as a source of energy into a dryer or for heating.
00:27:25:11 - 00:27:34:11
Pablo Martinez
So we use this heating to drive the spend mushroom. So straight after this this material can be pelletised
00:27:34:11 - 00:27:36:12
Abigail Acton
And when it's pelletised, what's that used for?
00:27:36:12 - 00:27:54:18
Pablo Martinez
When it's pelletised is used for or for every food? So because it has a very good market value and it can also be mixed or blend with other nutrients prior to pelletised so it can be done like a tailor made fertilizers.
00:27:54:19 - 00:27:55:04
Abigail Acton
Okay.
00:27:55:04 - 00:28:01:10
Pablo Martinez
So this is a very important point for to development products, specific products for different crops.
00:28:01:14 - 00:28:21:21
Abigail Acton
Right? Excellent. So basically you're taking the actual problem itself, using that to create biogas, which then makes heat, and then you're desecrating the rest that's left. And then it's able to be reused as fertilizer and think that's absolutely fascinating. How long did it take you to come up with a solution?
00:28:21:23 - 00:28:34:11
Pablo Martinez
This solution? It was like a preparing time of one year prior to to build the proposal. And then the problem was like it was a 2.2 and a half years.
00:28:34:13 - 00:28:46:20
Abigail Acton
And how does the mushroom substrate come to you and how do you and how does the fertilizer leave you? In other words, do mushroom companies come to you with great big trucks full of the stuff or and then what do you sell the fertilizer? How does that actually work.
00:28:47:01 - 00:29:18:21
Alfredo Neila
In your whole region where where we are located and the region produce? They have 45% of Spanish mushrooms. So there's a dedicated waste management plant where all the growers bring their their spend and so it's transported in trucks. And I'm bringing it into into this facility. So for us it was, yeah, this is a logistic design. So it's smallest easy to manage to the process of this material and be able to prioritize them.
00:29:18:21 - 00:29:21:16
Abigail Acton
Right. And then do you sell it or how does that work.
00:29:21:22 - 00:29:22:24
Pablo Martinez
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:29:23:01 - 00:29:30:24
Abigail Acton
And this is the cost of the selling. I mean the price that you get from it, does that cover the cost of actually running the designator and, and all your processes? In other words, do you break even?
00:29:31:03 - 00:29:57:12
Alfredo Neila
Actually we are selling the pellets for these fertilizing applications and yet the process is, is profitable. We are earning money from from this is there's an economic profit from from this process but it is just because we use the biogas for drying continuing if you use our external source of power to to dry the material is not going to to make sense.
00:29:57:12 - 00:29:58:21
Pablo Martinez
It's not going to make any profit.
00:29:58:22 - 00:30:06:09
Abigail Acton
No, but that's part of the sweetness of your solution is that it's sort of completely circular. Yeah. You're using the problem itself to solve the problem.
00:30:06:15 - 00:30:07:03
Pablo Martinez
Yeah.
00:30:07:05 - 00:30:17:09
Abigail Acton
So that's it's a it's a very neat solution. That's fascinating. And where to next for your company? So this is a pilot plant. Are you now going to build a bigger one or elsewhere or how is that going to work.
00:30:17:13 - 00:30:33:12
Pablo Martinez
Okay. Right now we have installed the pilot plant in doing this mass market and project and the pilot is running. We are basing the experiment on first rate and right now the pilot plant process up to 3600 tons per year.
00:30:33:14 - 00:30:34:08
Abigail Acton
Fantastic.
00:30:34:08 - 00:30:54:21
Pablo Martinez
And all of you can see videos of the of the pilot plant working day for your website. And the next steps will be increase the commercialization for the technology as it was planned, of course, to years to commercialize the technology. But the COVID 19 has impacted so much demonstration activities.
00:30:55:00 - 00:30:56:18
Abigail Acton
Of course it's impacted everything.
00:30:56:20 - 00:31:23:16
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. So right now we are involved in the demonstration sessions so anyone can can visit the our facilities and see how it's working. And yeah, we are quite happy because they seem those from mushroom sector, not only from European companies, we have also been contacted from companies from the United States, Canada and Australia. So yes, super we are, we are starting to increase the representation of the technology super.
00:31:23:16 - 00:31:32:02
Abigail Acton
So for your business as well, it looks like things are moving in the right direction. That's excellent. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions for Pablo? Yes, Tim. Thank you.
00:31:32:04 - 00:32:00:13
Tim Gent
Hi, Pablo. I'm listening to what you are saying, that I was quite interested that the solution in the past has been to put this product on land and that I guess, is a pollutant. Then and pollutes the surrounding streams or possibly surrounding farmland, and that your solution obviously fixes that. Do you think that the industry is really pleased about that or is that a cheaper option that they've been getting away with that now they'll have to stop doing?
00:32:00:15 - 00:32:36:01
Pablo Martinez
That's a very good question. And right now the industry is very interesting because if they don't recycle this this material, they have to pay a fee for for landfill. So, yes, of course, they're interested because they're making enough. They can get a profit for material that in other way generate. So, yeah, yeah, in some years ago it can be disposed in L.A. in the in the areas wronged in the production and production facilities.
00:32:36:06 - 00:32:46:00
Pablo Martinez
But right now it has to be managed in a waste management facility. So yeah, they're interested in it in there. And finally, because of this profitable approach.
00:32:46:02 - 00:32:51:13
Abigail Acton
Excellent. Well, that sounds wonderful. Thanks, Tim. Any other questions for Pablo? Yes, Alfredo.
00:32:51:15 - 00:33:17:21
Alfredo Neila
Yeah. So I have a question Pablo. It's a really interesting project. It's amazing what you can do with that. And I was caught by the fact that you were being approached by companies from Europe, the US and Canada. Is there any regulatory issues? Is there like a limit to your marketing in other countries because the regulatory relations are not that districts and therefore it might not be the economically viable?
00:33:17:23 - 00:33:50:13
Pablo Martinez
There's no real limitations for for the transfer of the transferability of the technology to other countries because this can be installed in any places that where mushroom cultivation is going on. So, no, right now there's no limitations for for the regulation of different countries. They are open to to include this technologies. Even if there's no fear to throw the isthmus, it's just still more economically interesting to sell it somehow.
00:33:50:15 - 00:34:11:10
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because if you or if a company can just throw them the material to spend, but also say they are not earning anything, it's €0 or bonus, it's okay. But by applying this technology they can get some profit from their from their waste orientation. So they make.
00:34:11:10 - 00:34:15:14
Abigail Acton
Profit as a motivator, Yes. Does anyone have another question?
00:34:15:15 - 00:34:47:08
Tim Gent
Yes, Tim. Similar lines to to Alfredo. I think you're talking to a panel of entrepreneurs and we're always guys listening to Pablo on looking for the the catching moment. Good, good term. When he mentioned that you're not allowed to spread this sub strata on the land any more in we our industry was purchased by legislation and we were really up against it until legislation stepped in and said, you can't send this this to landfill.
00:34:47:08 - 00:34:56:11
Tim Gent
It's got to be it's got to be recycled. Pablo, Is that it? They got a relatively cheap outlet on the farms nearby. Suddenly you're not allowed to do that anymore.
00:34:56:13 - 00:35:02:10
Abigail Acton
And you can monetize it. Not only do you can't throw it away that way, but you can actually get cash back by politicizing.
00:35:02:12 - 00:35:14:24
Tim Gent
To turn it into what has now become a huge cost. Am I right, Pablo, that that now you're competing now against landfill, which is very expensive. Whereas a few years ago you would have been competing against tipping your on the field nearby, which is relatively cheap.
00:35:15:02 - 00:35:52:23
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. Yeah. It's some years ago there was like a song. Yeah. Some limitations to apply this technology because the inclusion of the of these fees for 40 cycling most of the message economy approach in our sector at least. So yeah for us it just is a seems of the situation helps and also right now it's had a lot of like the price of fertilizers this is increasing so much from from one year to now.
00:35:53:04 - 00:36:00:18
Pablo Martinez
It's increased so much and there's a lot of interest from from our sector in this. And this approach is.
00:36:00:20 - 00:36:14:02
Abigail Acton
It's a little bit like the metals that you're your extracting term. And as much as you know, buying them in is so very, very much more expensive. So it focuses the mind, I suspect. Any other questions? Well, yes, Tim, please go.
00:36:14:03 - 00:36:25:10
Tim Gent
Pablo, I'm just thinking you're using this substrate as a base ingredient, right. For fertilizers, Can you then customize fertilizers to different products using your substratum as a base ingredient?
00:36:25:12 - 00:36:55:21
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. Yeah, it can be. We can blend and other nutrients prior to pelletise the product, so it can be tailor made or formula. We can do a formulation on request from so many crops. In fact, we have to develop different fertilizers for a cereal, vineyards tomato, pepper, so we can add a lot of different nutrients. Yes, depending on the on the target crop.
00:36:55:23 - 00:37:00:11
Pablo Martinez
So, yeah, these are very advantage. These are great advantages.
00:37:00:13 - 00:37:05:19
Tim Gent
Sounds like you're on to a winner. There might.
00:37:05:21 - 00:37:16:02
Abigail Acton
Sounds like you're all on winners. I'm impressed by all of you. Well, thank you very, very much for your time. It's been a pleasure listening to you and hearing about your work. Thank you.
00:37:16:03 - 00:37:17:21
Pablo Martinez
Thank you very much.
00:37:17:23 - 00:37:18:24
Tim Gent
Much. Thanks very much.
00:37:19:02 - 00:37:20:00
Alfredo Neila
Thank you, guys.
00:37:20:02 - 00:37:43:04
Abigail Acton
All the very best to you all. Thank you. Are you interested in what other EU funded projects are doing to cut back waste and boost the circular economy? The Cordis website will give you an insight into the results of projects funded by the Horizon 2020 program that are working in this area. The website has articles and interviews that explore the results of research being conducted in a very broad range of domains and subjects.
00:37:43:10 - 00:38:01:17
Abigail Acton
From mollusks to meteors, There's something there for you. Maybe you're involved in a project or would like to apply for funding. Take a look at what others are doing in your domain. So come and check out the research that's revealing what makes our world tick. We're always happy to hear from you. Drop us a line. Editorial at Cordis dot Europa dot EU.
00:38:01:18 - 00:38:03:06
Abigail Acton
Until next time.
This is an AI transcription.
00:00:10:05 - 00:00:16:02
Abigail Acton
This is CORDIScovery.
00:00:16:04 - 00:00:36:14
Abigail Acton
Hello. Welcome to this episode of CORDIScovery With me, Abigail Acton. Today we are looking at three novel ways to cut back the waste we produced by repairing, reusing and recycling. Did you know that it takes 3 to 4 tons of nitrogen rich substrate to grow a ton of mushrooms? There's a lot of it. Over three and a half million tons are generated in Europe every year.
00:00:36:18 - 00:00:57:15
Abigail Acton
What happens to that once last mushroom has been picked. Recycling is a key battleground in combating climate change, but how can we sort through everything to reclaim what can be reused? Currently, metals like aluminum, gold, silver and zinc can't be economically recovered from mixed recycling. Most recyclers do not have a sustainable solution to the separation and recovery of these valuable resources.
00:00:57:21 - 00:01:21:14
Abigail Acton
So how can that change? And then there's industrial plastic in Europe, 1.9 billion items like plastic crates and pallets are used by transport companies, and there are more than 20 billion plastic bins used on our city streets. When any of these break, that's thrown away billions of wasted items every year. What if they could be repaired cheaply and effectively and then be reused?
00:01:21:16 - 00:01:46:09
Abigail Acton
Used to treat all three guests whose work has been supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program are doing their part to come up with innovative solutions. Tim Gent is the managing director of Cresco, a UK glass recycling company that is using X-ray fluorescence, shape recognition and machine learning to make recycling more efficient. Tim's interest is in how to make the circular economy more of a reality.
00:01:46:12 - 00:01:47:21
Abigail Acton
Welcome.
00:01:47:23 - 00:01:49:05
Tim Gent
Hello, everybody.
00:01:49:07 - 00:02:03:01
Abigail Acton
The commercial editing director of the Spanish company Plastic Repair Systems, Alfredo Neila has set out to make repairing industrial plastic objects such as crates and pallets more financially viable than throwing them away. Hello, Alfredo.
00:02:03:03 - 00:02:04:00
Alfredo Neila
Good morning.
00:02:04:02 - 00:02:16:11
Abigail Acton
Pablo Martinez is one of the brains behind Smart Mushroom, which has come up with a new way of treating the waste produced by the mushroom growing sector, transforming it from the environmentally challenging byproduct to a valuable resource. Pablo, welcome.
00:02:16:16 - 00:02:17:11
Pablo Martinez
Hello, everybody.
00:02:17:15 - 00:02:39:04
Abigail Acton
Hi. Let's get to it. Tim, I'm going to start with you. One of the biggest problems recycling is face is sorting the mingled materials so that the reclaimed final product is pure. The OMR project is putting in place advanced technologies to help make the whole process more efficient. So, Tim, how did you get involved in the idea of extracting non-ferrous metal from glass waste?
00:02:39:10 - 00:03:00:22
Tim Gent
Whereas a glass process that we process about 20% of all the glass bottles in the UK for recycling back into glass bottles, which is a really good system that's evolved over many years. Throughout those years, we've had a byproduct from that we called aluminum tops that we screw on the top of the lid. We also have aluminum closures, that kept mixed in.
00:03:00:24 - 00:03:11:08
Tim Gent
There are also other metals in there which are a contamination to our aluminum. If we want that aluminum to be reused, we have to clean it to an inch of its life. So this is good as raw material.
00:03:12:05 - 00:03:20:02
Tim Gent
And that's the challenge that interested me, because it's a very valuable product and it's a challenge to get it clean enough to reuse.
00:03:20:04 - 00:03:30:06
Abigail Acton
Right. So prior to your work on this project, when you were first sort of beginning to realize that there was a resource there that was just not being harnessed effectively, what was happening to all the aluminum?
00:03:30:10 - 00:03:52:11
Tim Gent
The aluminum, a lot of it was going to landfill because it wasn't economically viable to recycle. In the last few years, it's been going into aluminum smelting furnaces just as a weighbridge ticket. But actually when it gets in the furnace because it's so thin, it disappears and smoke and ash up the chimney. So we are kidding ourselves if we think that's being recycled.
00:03:52:11 - 00:03:55:14
Tim Gent
It isn't. It's okay. And a pollutant at that point.
00:03:55:16 - 00:04:08:15
Abigail Acton
Right. Okay, great. So there was clearly a problem that needed to be addressed. So can you tell me a little bit about the techniques that you were using already in the glass sorting and how then you you adapted and reformulated those ideas to apply to metal extraction.
00:04:08:15 - 00:04:28:15
Tim Gent
So to make sure our glass is clean enough, we have to use an X-ray fluorescence system which analyzes the molecular structure of the glass to make sure that it isn't like crystal or zirconium based glass, which is he treated. Neither of those are good in the furnace. One doesn't melt and one puts too much light into the container, which just for human consumption.
00:04:28:17 - 00:04:51:12
Tim Gent
That machine we found could also differentiate between different non-ferrous metals. So we were able to separate the aluminum from zinc lead copper brass that was also present in that waste stream. We can't separate that material by hand in Europe is too expensive, so the material ends up being, as I said earlier, sent to landfill or sent to China.
00:04:51:12 - 00:05:14:06
Tim Gent
India, hugely valuable resource being wasted if you can make that happen using technology, then you're onto a winner because technology whilst is very expensive, it runs 24 hours, seven days a week and it's repeatable and you can guarantee the end product, the quality of the end products absolutely essential for our business to guarantee the quality of the end product.
00:05:14:10 - 00:05:16:14
Tim Gent
You can only do that with technology, right?
00:05:16:14 - 00:05:34:12
Abigail Acton
So I mean, once you've invested and put it in place, then it takes care of itself, as it were, apart from maintenance. So that's the X-ray technology that we're using. But I think you were using other really quite cutting edge means of sourcing and also a great speed. Tell me a little bit more about the actual process and how it unfolds in your plant.
00:05:34:16 - 00:05:55:16
Tim Gent
Okay. So the glass comes in to us. It's in very poor condition hugely contaminated with paper and and other non glass items. Our plant covers two acres. Wow. So we put it in a hopper at the beginning and it goes through grading, which is really just a mechanical. We then use magnets for ferrous and current separator for the non-ferrous.
00:05:55:21 - 00:05:58:20
Tim Gent
We have camera technology, x ray technology and laser technology.
00:05:59:00 - 00:06:03:18
Abigail Acton
What was that separator you just mentioned after the magnetic separator? Said Eddy Current I think. What does that mean?
00:06:03:19 - 00:06:18:04
Tim Gent
Yeah, the only current separator so that is a drum that's a meter and a half long weighs about a third of a tonne. Wow. It spins at 3000 reps per minute and it generates an electronic field around non-ferrous metal.
00:06:18:06 - 00:06:19:18
Abigail Acton
Okay. And then what happens?
00:06:20:02 - 00:06:24:02
Tim Gent
it is repelled, so it literally jumps into the air by a conveyor belt. Right.
00:06:24:04 - 00:06:26:07
Abigail Acton
fascinating
00:06:26:09 - 00:06:42:00
Tim Gent
And as the metal passes over, it has no effect whatsoever on the glass because it's not it's not a metal and non-ferrous metal, brass, copper, all of those metals has the same because it's an electronic reaction. Right. Repels it and it jumps off of the belt onto a neighboring belt.
00:06:42:00 - 00:06:42:24
Abigail Acton
Fantastic.
00:06:43:01 - 00:06:47:16
Tim Gent
And put it into a bay sort of thing system. So it's magic. It isn't obviously.
00:06:47:16 - 00:06:51:00
Abigail Acton
It's it's always like it's sort of leaping out of the container and volunteering itself.
00:06:51:01 - 00:06:58:03
Tim Gent
Yeah, it's it's quite funny because this is quite high value material and it's just jumping out of the conveyor belt right at you.
00:06:58:08 - 00:06:58:16
Abigail Acton
Yeah.
00:06:58:22 - 00:07:02:23
Tim Gent
So yeah, it seems it seems a waste not to do something more exciting with it and put it to landfill, you know?
00:07:03:00 - 00:07:13:21
Abigail Acton
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So then that that goes down a process through this large plant that you, what you were mentioning you said, I think I also believe that you're using machine learning and shape recognition. No?
00:07:13:23 - 00:07:34:09
Tim Gent
Yes. And that's because some of the contamination in the aluminum lids with the tops is coated with copper. It's actually zinc, but it's coated with copper or chrome. And sometimes it looks like brass, like a door handle. But but it isn't, It is zinc underneath. And you can't put that in the brass because it looks like brass.
00:07:34:11 - 00:07:35:14
Abigail Acton
Right.
00:07:35:16 - 00:07:44:09
Tim Gent
You have to know what that is. So even if you did have people trying to saw that material, they would think that it was brass. The machine, however, knows that it is not.
00:07:44:15 - 00:07:45:20
Abigail Acton
And how does it know that?
00:07:45:22 - 00:08:05:10
Tim Gent
It knows that because it can analyze the surface. And if the surface coating is too deep, then you can look at the shape. So if we find a contaminant, a piece of zinc in the copper, then then we show that to the machine and say, next time you see this, we don't want it.
00:08:05:16 - 00:08:06:12
Abigail Acton
Fantastic.
00:08:06:12 - 00:08:07:09
Abigail Acton
00:08:07:11 - 00:08:26:10
Tim Gent
And that takes a while because but but everything is repeated in recycling. Everything. There isn't a one off. There is an well, we've never seen this particular door handle before. That doesn't happen. So once you've got that databank of material and and objects, you can then file them simply because of their site recognition.
00:08:26:16 - 00:08:35:21
Abigail Acton
Excellent. Fantastic. And does the machine also is that also the place where it would be able to identify that even though something looked like brass, it wasn't brass or is that a further step in the process?
00:08:35:24 - 00:08:45:13
Tim Gent
No, it has to be a combination of the two. So you can say, look, this looks like a a brass coin, but in actual reality it is an existing washer.
00:08:45:15 - 00:08:56:07
Abigail Acton
Right. And but, but the shape would be the same. So the shape learning the machine recognizes. Okay, find the shape. Now, you want me to do this with that? Because you've programed me and you've told me that's what you want. But how can it tell what the material actually is?
00:08:56:13 - 00:09:04:23
Tim Gent
It's doing that by the x ray, so you've got x ray and shape recognition and they work together. That combination tells you what actually as well.
00:09:04:23 - 00:09:22:11
Abigail Acton
It's absolutely fantastic. It sounds a marvelously high tech approach. And I don't know, I mean, many of us have thought in the past of of recycling as being perhaps quite manual and are not necessarily quite so cutting edge. So this is very interesting, but it must have taken a lot of trial and error before you refined your approach.
00:09:22:11 - 00:09:29:01
Abigail Acton
So you're talking about a high degree of precision. How long has it taken you to get to the point where you can be as precise as you're describing this project?
00:09:29:01 - 00:09:30:16
Tim Gent
So far? It's taken three years.
00:09:30:18 - 00:09:33:02
Abigail Acton
Right? And prior to that, what was this building on?
00:09:33:05 - 00:09:42:19
Tim Gent
This is building on the experience that we've generated within the glass processing process. Very much the same technology, but just slightly different use. And that's being taken two years in the building.
00:09:43:00 - 00:09:51:07
Abigail Acton
Right? So indeed, so this is a long evolution and I suppose obviously it must be the case that there's new technologies coming online that are that are helping you.
00:09:51:10 - 00:10:03:10
Tim Gent
Well, I love this business is the new technologies. We help develop it. We tell people what we need. We use crossover technology, we introduce in our plant and we make it work by share, determine Tyson.
00:10:03:12 - 00:10:18:16
Abigail Acton
And passion. Absolutely. Excellent. Okay. And the impact of all this hard work. Now, do you have some idea, Tim, can you tell us some statistics? For example, do you have any idea of how much you're managing to save from landfill than wasn't being saved before? Any idea of the quantity of change that you're making yet?
00:10:18:21 - 00:10:31:07
Tim Gent
Surprisingly enough, if you take the aluminum lids alone on the bottle in the UK, we produce over 100 tonnes per week from our recycling operations across the industry.
00:10:31:09 - 00:10:34:20
Abigail Acton
And then that goes back into into being used as quality aluminum.
00:10:34:22 - 00:10:50:19
Tim Gent
All of that goes back into a food grade application, but it's a recycled content now. So it takes an awful lot of boxes. Interestingly though, there is this technology can then be used to sort other streams of mixed non-ferrous metals, which traditionally have all gone to China.
00:10:50:22 - 00:10:59:07
Abigail Acton
Okay, great. So we're not exporting our problem and we're also keeping within our own value chains a valuable resource. So yeah, win-win.
00:10:59:08 - 00:11:20:18
Tim Gent
Exactly the driver to this Abigail is resources. This is getting very, very political, especially this year. These resources, most resources that we need in this country come from organizations and countries that may not particularly like us. And we're not only are we buying these resources off of them, in some cases when we finish and we're giving them back.
00:11:20:21 - 00:11:24:08
Tim Gent
Right. It's absolute insanity. We have to stop doing that.
00:11:24:10 - 00:11:30:13
Abigail Acton
Is almost as if we're just renting them, as it were. Yeah. Yeah. Super. Okay. And where to next for Recresci then?
00:11:30:15 - 00:11:53:02
Tim Gent
So once we feel we've completed the plant and we've proved its concept, this is repeatable. This is a Europe wide problem. This can be repeated right across Europe. There are hundreds of thousands of tonnes each year of mixed Non-ferrous metals are being sent to China and India for ease over there. We should be sorting this here in Europe and using it in Europe.
00:11:53:04 - 00:12:01:09
Abigail Acton
Fantastic. Okay. And we seem to be focusing on bottles and tops and things like that, but the aluminum itself, where will that end up, Do you think?
00:12:01:11 - 00:12:19:08
Tim Gent
The aluminum content of packaging has to have a recycled content and that's where it will go being driven. The consumer is driving this and demanding a higher recycled content in packaging. So this will be returned to packaging. So the recycled content is higher.
00:12:19:11 - 00:12:30:04
Abigail Acton
Okay, that's great. So that's the aluminum and other metals returning back potentially to the industries that were initially using them. But could they perhaps be destined for completely unrelated industries?
00:12:30:04 - 00:12:50:24
Tim Gent
Yeah, all manufacturing requires a recycled content nowadays. So we're now seeing recycled materials have a premium value over and above raw materials, simply so that the claim can be made that our vehicle, our airplane, our toys, they're all have this value because of the recycled content within them.
00:12:50:24 - 00:13:14:10
Abigail Acton
So it's a very strong selling point to say, yes, indeed. I mean, you see it also in the computer sector. Yeah. Yeah. One more question for you, Tim. If there was one industry barrier to the successful uptake of the product that is coming out of your recycling plants, what is it? What is the one bottleneck when it comes to actually trying to get your material back into the system?
00:13:14:12 - 00:13:40:17
Tim Gent
I think people have to accept that the recycle content costs a lot to get it to the quality they require and we need to see the value, the true value of the recycled content. It should be premium it is in places, but it's not enough. There isn't a shortage of recycled material. There's just a lack of value if you pay the true value so that you're covering the costs of the recovery, then this material will all be recovered.
00:13:40:19 - 00:13:49:03
Tim Gent
The only reason it goes to China is because it is the cheapest route. So we need to recognize the value of the recycling industry adds to this material.
00:13:49:05 - 00:14:08:01
Abigail Acton
Fantastic. Thank you very much, Tim. That's that's interesting and also very clear and surprisingly cutting edge. I thought that was absolutely fascinating. Thank you. Alfredo I'm going to turn to you now. The PRS project has developed an innovative way to repair industrial plastic items, restoring their former quality and strength and keeping them out of landfill and incinerators.
00:14:08:05 - 00:14:12:13
Abigail Acton
So can you tell us a little bit more about the problem, Alfredo? What were you trying to change?
00:14:12:15 - 00:14:39:09
Alfredo Neila
Yes, what we have detected is that in Europe there are about 1.9 billion plastic boxes of pallets generally called RTP or thermal transport packaging. They're used all over the industries, like you name it, the automotive food industry pull in. And we saw that 10 to 15% of this park, huge park was being damaged. And when damaged, there was basically two options.
00:14:39:09 - 00:15:02:21
Alfredo Neila
One, you throw them away land field And the second option, which is a good option, the circular economy is recycling. Now, when you recycle these elements, there are two issues. One is that you have 3.73 kilos of CO2 emissions per kilo of plastic recycled, which is considerable.
00:15:03:02 - 00:15:03:21
Abigail Acton
Yes, indeed.
00:15:03:22 - 00:15:27:01
Alfredo Neila
And the second one is the economic part. Like when you have to grind a recycled plastic and then inject it again, that's a significant cost. So the value proposal of plastic repair systems have two main pillars. So one is the sustainable pillar. So instead of 3.3 kilos of CO2 emissions, we have 12 grams. Wow.
00:15:27:03 - 00:15:28:03
Abigail Acton
That's a huge difference.
00:15:28:13 - 00:15:45:01
Alfredo Neila
huge difference. So if you consider this this amount, we're talking about a four 410,000 million tonnes of plastic every year and you translate this into CO2 emissions, we're talking the billions. And so the scope is just huge.
00:15:45:03 - 00:15:45:12
Abigail Acton
Right?
00:15:45:12 - 00:16:10:23
Alfredo Neila
So, so what we have done is we have developed our own technology and we have been able to manage the green variety of these breakage. So at the end this will have a such a standard product. So each package is different and we see that the main issue we have a business case here was to handle this variation, right?
00:16:11:00 - 00:16:21:02
Alfredo Neila
So that's why we are, yeah, in this technology, the basic technology was there, but we have a newer technologies to kind of like solve this.
00:16:21:04 - 00:16:41:07
Abigail Acton
Okay, So basically, obviously things are broken in different ways and each type of break requires a different way of repairing by the nature of it, that must present a vast diversity of problems to solve. So for example, if something is snapped slightly or something is is warned through because of too much friction, it's a completely different mechanical problem for the solution.
00:16:41:07 - 00:16:48:08
Abigail Acton
I would imagine. So tell me a little bit more about the system that can actually interpret what this object needs in order to be repaired.
00:16:48:10 - 00:17:11:02
Alfredo Neila
This is very much like what Tim was mentioning. We are also like relying heavily in the new technologies and artificial vision and machine learning. So basically what we do is we we have like a we go step by step. We have first of all, we, we have like a family of of of components and a family of of breakage.
00:17:11:04 - 00:17:34:20
Alfredo Neila
So we we start like feeding data to the machine. And the more data we feed the machine, the more then the machine and the algorithm is able to, to detect and to classify different types of of wreckage. And with different types of wreckage, we have different processes. So that's, that's the key thing. That's that, that's the base. And then in parallel, we are kind of like going deep with each technology.
00:17:34:20 - 00:18:00:05
Alfredo Neila
We have our own thermal welding technology, we produce our own material, we go in automation also for some other types of breakage. We have several partners. We set our machines. So that's that's our scope, right, to kind of like, first of all, to handle the variation. And once we have that, if I go through an industrial process, we so we can make a viable economical system.
00:18:00:10 - 00:18:12:09
Abigail Acton
Okay. And do you find that there are many objects that you get that you just can't repair because your machines can't interpret what the problem is? Or is it the case that that 100% of the broken items that come to you are repaired? How does that work?
00:18:12:11 - 00:18:41:06
Alfredo Neila
No, actually, what we do is when we classify, we put aside the plastic, those, let's say, really damaged. And this is a borderline with economic availability. And what we do is we have them as donors. So we do some taxes when this like big damages would cannibalize these very damaged components. We take parts of it and we we kind of transplant them to to a receptor to to another component.
00:18:41:06 - 00:19:01:01
Alfredo Neila
So those are likely the cases where we can, like somehow manage the very damage and save somehow more of the not that severely damaged components. So long story short, we have about 80 to 90% recovery rate average. Yeah.
00:19:01:03 - 00:19:15:16
Abigail Acton
Well, that sounds very that sounds very significant. And what happens so industry comes to you with with a collection of a stockpile of broken objects and ask is you repair or do you buy those broken objects from an industrial source and sell back? How does that work?
00:19:15:18 - 00:19:21:23
Alfredo Neila
Well, no, not at all. Yes. And we're like that. I wish they could work like they would come to us. So this is.
00:19:21:23 - 00:19:23:09
Abigail Acton
Only was so simple.
00:19:23:11 - 00:19:40:23
Alfredo Neila
This is a hidden way. So this is something that they don't see as a waste. So they do they recycle. They think, okay, we're okay. We're in the circular economy process, but they don't see that this can be enhanced and improved. In some cases, they're like the percentage that it's not viable to repair. So you have to recycle.
00:19:40:23 - 00:20:08:05
Alfredo Neila
And so that's still an option, but the vast majority you can repair. So what we have to do is, first of all, raise awareness of how things can be done. And actually, it is surprising that so many big companies that are so much into sustainable eating, they don't know about this. And even when they know it takes a quite a bit of time to kind of go through their decision making process to go ahead.
00:20:08:07 - 00:20:24:01
Alfredo Neila
Right. But once they see this goes very fast. So right now we're scaling really, really fast because everybody or the main customer base that we have that are facing, yeah, they're buying it and they're like.
00:20:24:03 - 00:20:35:02
Abigail Acton
Yeah, because once they've tried it and see how it works, then they're into it. Yes, I get that. Okay. Yeah, super. And so where to next for your company? What are you actually doing right now? You say you're scaling up. Yeah. How's that going?
00:20:35:07 - 00:21:04:03
Alfredo Neila
Well, right now I'm talking to him from Mexico where he we are going to hear also growing very fast in Mexico and the government regulatory system or the regulatory frame. It's not that focused on sustainability, but since Mexico is exporting 80% of its production to the US and they used to strike, you know, the the carbon footprint in the supply chain, I mean, all companies exporting to the US are forced to kind of like this.
00:21:04:03 - 00:21:19:15
Alfredo Neila
So we have a very good reception of this, of this concept. We have an aggressive and commercialize that. We are going to still have the business in Europe, in the Americas for the next three years or until about 10 to 30 new plants.
00:21:19:17 - 00:21:20:19
Abigail Acton
Wow. That's quite a lot.
00:21:20:22 - 00:21:44:07
Alfredo Neila
Yeah. Yeah, that's that tells you a little bit What's the reception of of Yeah. This of this idea and and in terms of our product development what we are doing we're going to, let's say cheaper simpler systems that are economically speaking very difficult to repair, but we are kind of like automating and do our processes and we are able to do some of this.
00:21:44:07 - 00:21:47:24
Alfredo Neila
So we're expanding our portfolio of, of systems.
00:21:48:01 - 00:21:50:12
Abigail Acton
So when you say systems, you mean items. Yeah, right.
00:21:50:15 - 00:21:53:16
Alfredo Neila
And the packaging systems are coordinated and separate.
00:21:53:16 - 00:21:56:10
Abigail Acton
Okay. So you're broadening the scope of what you can actually take on.
00:21:56:10 - 00:22:16:15
Alfredo Neila
Yeah, indeed. So we are going deeper to right now we have the lesser, the big items, crates, pallets and so on. They're quite heavy about 36, 30 kilos, £60 and up. And right now we are going with items that are a few kilos. So that's also giving us a future projection and we need grow.
00:22:16:17 - 00:22:33:18
Abigail Acton
Right. But it must be quite a technical headache as well because if you're been repairing items that are very big and now you're going towards things that are much smaller, then presumably you need to to think again about how everything is scaled up. But anyway, it sounds fascinating. Does anyone have any questions for Alfredo? Tim, Yes.
00:22:33:20 - 00:22:54:15
Tim Gent
Alfredo, do you do you find that your product gets the respect it should do being as it's recovered and recycled? I noticed earlier you mentioned that trying to get people to buy your products instead of brand new ones. And is it getting easier to to sell your your items because they are recovered.
00:22:54:18 - 00:23:15:03
Alfredo Neila
Yeah, actually, yes, that's an issue at the beginning. But we went through this process already. So we have a very big customer know if I can say the name here, but this is the biggest sporting company in the world. We have to solve a lot of problems for them. And we have a very strong, let's say, reference there.
00:23:15:03 - 00:23:42:21
Alfredo Neila
So at the beginning, indeed, it was extremely difficult to do this because their identity, security wise very critical. I mean, if you pile this these items in our supply chain of 6 to 8 meters, something goes wrong. They followed it, continue the person. So this is a very critical thing. But we have certified a method. We have possible certifications, you name it, ISO line plus and federal authorities in the US.
00:23:42:23 - 00:23:53:11
Alfredo Neila
And that's that's actually a competitive advantage to us. It's a barrier. Let's say we do this well, we can prove it and it's not that initiative. That's a very good system. Thank you.
00:23:53:13 - 00:24:10:06
Abigail Acton
Thanks, Yes, that's a good point. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I'm going to turn to Pablo now. So we've been thinking about glass and metal and we've been thinking about plastics. Pablo, Now we're going to think about organic waste with you because your project Smart Mushroom, is dealing with a problem that I suspect most of us haven't even thought of when we're tucking into a mushroom omelet.
00:24:10:12 - 00:24:19:20
Abigail Acton
And that's what happens to all the growing material once the last mushroom is harvested. So tell us more about the problem. Where do mushrooms come from and what is left behind?
00:24:20:01 - 00:24:46:17
Pablo Martinez
Okay, first I would like to remark that the mushroom cultivation is a serious sector in itself because it uses to receive some byproducts from agriculture like cereal, straw and livestock, a chicken or a horse manure as a source of nutrients to elaborate the substrate for cultivating mushrooms. But the yes mushroom cultivation generates also residues from its kilo rounds.
00:24:46:18 - 00:25:04:07
Alfredo Neila
Mushrooms produce that are generated 3.3 kilograms of a spent mushroom. So straight. Wow. Okay. Which means 3.70 million tons annually in Europe. So this is a very large amount. It has 3 minutes indeed.
00:25:04:09 - 00:25:08:08
Abigail Acton
Why can't we just take it back out and put it straight back on fields?
00:25:08:12 - 00:25:32:17
Pablo Martinez
As you have said before, it could be used in agriculture by adding it to the soil. So strictly a However, Nitrates Directive seven is also a limit that makes that quantities of have spent, much of which we cannot be simply sprayed in soils next to mushroom grow as facilities as there is a high risk of water pollutions or releases by nitrogen.
00:25:32:19 - 00:25:55:01
Abigail Acton
I see. So that's the problem with just trying to just spread it around on the soil. Okay, So you see a large quantity of this waste product which just can't be put back outside and spread around because it's very nitrogen rich. So what caused you to to see this problem and to feel that you wanted to to try and find a solution?
00:25:55:03 - 00:26:15:15
Pablo Martinez
Okay. So I'm I'm absolutely convinced that it's necessary to finding solutions to monitor waste generated by humans, of course, while reducing the rate of waste to avoid the negative impacts on the moment. This topic is related to my personal interest. I love the countryside and nature and this spaces needs to be present.
00:26:15:17 - 00:26:16:18
Abigail Acton
Okay.
00:26:16:20 - 00:26:35:13
Pablo Martinez
Of course. I also think that it's essential to demonstrate that recycling technologies can bring an economic benefit to the sectors that are generating this. And there's bloated waste because from my point of view, profitability is going to be the key aspect to promote the economy and increase that positive reaction of many stakeholders.
00:26:35:18 - 00:26:42:01
Abigail Acton
Yes, just exactly what Tim was saying. Yes, indeed. So what was the solution that Smart Mushroom has come up with to deal with this problem?
00:26:42:01 - 00:27:25:09
Pablo Martinez
Then the aim of the project was to develop an organic pellet types fertilizer. Better to perform this activity. The spend mushroom substrate must have less than 20% moisture content. So we were looking for a profitable and environmentally sustainable process to reduce the humidity of the material. So the process instead has two different phases. First, the spend model, interest rate is used as a raw material to produce biogas into an anaerobic digesters, and after this is states, the biogas produced is used as a source of energy into a dryer or for heating.
00:27:25:11 - 00:27:34:11
Pablo Martinez
So we use this heating to drive the spend mushroom. So straight after this this material can be pelletised
00:27:34:11 - 00:27:36:12
Abigail Acton
And when it's pelletised, what's that used for?
00:27:36:12 - 00:27:54:18
Pablo Martinez
When it's pelletised is used for or for every food? So because it has a very good market value and it can also be mixed or blend with other nutrients prior to pelletised so it can be done like a tailor made fertilizers.
00:27:54:19 - 00:27:55:04
Abigail Acton
Okay.
00:27:55:04 - 00:28:01:10
Pablo Martinez
So this is a very important point for to development products, specific products for different crops.
00:28:01:14 - 00:28:21:21
Abigail Acton
Right? Excellent. So basically you're taking the actual problem itself, using that to create biogas, which then makes heat, and then you're desecrating the rest that's left. And then it's able to be reused as fertilizer and think that's absolutely fascinating. How long did it take you to come up with a solution?
00:28:21:23 - 00:28:34:11
Pablo Martinez
This solution? It was like a preparing time of one year prior to to build the proposal. And then the problem was like it was a 2.2 and a half years.
00:28:34:13 - 00:28:46:20
Abigail Acton
And how does the mushroom substrate come to you and how do you and how does the fertilizer leave you? In other words, do mushroom companies come to you with great big trucks full of the stuff or and then what do you sell the fertilizer? How does that actually work.
00:28:47:01 - 00:29:18:21
Alfredo Neila
In your whole region where where we are located and the region produce? They have 45% of Spanish mushrooms. So there's a dedicated waste management plant where all the growers bring their their spend and so it's transported in trucks. And I'm bringing it into into this facility. So for us it was, yeah, this is a logistic design. So it's smallest easy to manage to the process of this material and be able to prioritize them.
00:29:18:21 - 00:29:21:16
Abigail Acton
Right. And then do you sell it or how does that work.
00:29:21:22 - 00:29:22:24
Pablo Martinez
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:29:23:01 - 00:29:30:24
Abigail Acton
And this is the cost of the selling. I mean the price that you get from it, does that cover the cost of actually running the designator and, and all your processes? In other words, do you break even?
00:29:31:03 - 00:29:57:12
Alfredo Neila
Actually we are selling the pellets for these fertilizing applications and yet the process is, is profitable. We are earning money from from this is there's an economic profit from from this process but it is just because we use the biogas for drying continuing if you use our external source of power to to dry the material is not going to to make sense.
00:29:57:12 - 00:29:58:21
Pablo Martinez
It's not going to make any profit.
00:29:58:22 - 00:30:06:09
Abigail Acton
No, but that's part of the sweetness of your solution is that it's sort of completely circular. Yeah. You're using the problem itself to solve the problem.
00:30:06:15 - 00:30:07:03
Pablo Martinez
Yeah.
00:30:07:05 - 00:30:17:09
Abigail Acton
So that's it's a it's a very neat solution. That's fascinating. And where to next for your company? So this is a pilot plant. Are you now going to build a bigger one or elsewhere or how is that going to work.
00:30:17:13 - 00:30:33:12
Pablo Martinez
Okay. Right now we have installed the pilot plant in doing this mass market and project and the pilot is running. We are basing the experiment on first rate and right now the pilot plant process up to 3600 tons per year.
00:30:33:14 - 00:30:34:08
Abigail Acton
Fantastic.
00:30:34:08 - 00:30:54:21
Pablo Martinez
And all of you can see videos of the of the pilot plant working day for your website. And the next steps will be increase the commercialization for the technology as it was planned, of course, to years to commercialize the technology. But the COVID 19 has impacted so much demonstration activities.
00:30:55:00 - 00:30:56:18
Abigail Acton
Of course it's impacted everything.
00:30:56:20 - 00:31:23:16
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. So right now we are involved in the demonstration sessions so anyone can can visit the our facilities and see how it's working. And yeah, we are quite happy because they seem those from mushroom sector, not only from European companies, we have also been contacted from companies from the United States, Canada and Australia. So yes, super we are, we are starting to increase the representation of the technology super.
00:31:23:16 - 00:31:32:02
Abigail Acton
So for your business as well, it looks like things are moving in the right direction. That's excellent. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions for Pablo? Yes, Tim. Thank you.
00:31:32:04 - 00:32:00:13
Tim Gent
Hi, Pablo. I'm listening to what you are saying, that I was quite interested that the solution in the past has been to put this product on land and that I guess, is a pollutant. Then and pollutes the surrounding streams or possibly surrounding farmland, and that your solution obviously fixes that. Do you think that the industry is really pleased about that or is that a cheaper option that they've been getting away with that now they'll have to stop doing?
00:32:00:15 - 00:32:36:01
Pablo Martinez
That's a very good question. And right now the industry is very interesting because if they don't recycle this this material, they have to pay a fee for for landfill. So, yes, of course, they're interested because they're making enough. They can get a profit for material that in other way generate. So, yeah, yeah, in some years ago it can be disposed in L.A. in the in the areas wronged in the production and production facilities.
00:32:36:06 - 00:32:46:00
Pablo Martinez
But right now it has to be managed in a waste management facility. So yeah, they're interested in it in there. And finally, because of this profitable approach.
00:32:46:02 - 00:32:51:13
Abigail Acton
Excellent. Well, that sounds wonderful. Thanks, Tim. Any other questions for Pablo? Yes, Alfredo.
00:32:51:15 - 00:33:17:21
Alfredo Neila
Yeah. So I have a question Pablo. It's a really interesting project. It's amazing what you can do with that. And I was caught by the fact that you were being approached by companies from Europe, the US and Canada. Is there any regulatory issues? Is there like a limit to your marketing in other countries because the regulatory relations are not that districts and therefore it might not be the economically viable?
00:33:17:23 - 00:33:50:13
Pablo Martinez
There's no real limitations for for the transfer of the transferability of the technology to other countries because this can be installed in any places that where mushroom cultivation is going on. So, no, right now there's no limitations for for the regulation of different countries. They are open to to include this technologies. Even if there's no fear to throw the isthmus, it's just still more economically interesting to sell it somehow.
00:33:50:15 - 00:34:11:10
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because if you or if a company can just throw them the material to spend, but also say they are not earning anything, it's €0 or bonus, it's okay. But by applying this technology they can get some profit from their from their waste orientation. So they make.
00:34:11:10 - 00:34:15:14
Abigail Acton
Profit as a motivator, Yes. Does anyone have another question?
00:34:15:15 - 00:34:47:08
Tim Gent
Yes, Tim. Similar lines to to Alfredo. I think you're talking to a panel of entrepreneurs and we're always guys listening to Pablo on looking for the the catching moment. Good, good term. When he mentioned that you're not allowed to spread this sub strata on the land any more in we our industry was purchased by legislation and we were really up against it until legislation stepped in and said, you can't send this this to landfill.
00:34:47:08 - 00:34:56:11
Tim Gent
It's got to be it's got to be recycled. Pablo, Is that it? They got a relatively cheap outlet on the farms nearby. Suddenly you're not allowed to do that anymore.
00:34:56:13 - 00:35:02:10
Abigail Acton
And you can monetize it. Not only do you can't throw it away that way, but you can actually get cash back by politicizing.
00:35:02:12 - 00:35:14:24
Tim Gent
To turn it into what has now become a huge cost. Am I right, Pablo, that that now you're competing now against landfill, which is very expensive. Whereas a few years ago you would have been competing against tipping your on the field nearby, which is relatively cheap.
00:35:15:02 - 00:35:52:23
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. Yeah. It's some years ago there was like a song. Yeah. Some limitations to apply this technology because the inclusion of the of these fees for 40 cycling most of the message economy approach in our sector at least. So yeah for us it just is a seems of the situation helps and also right now it's had a lot of like the price of fertilizers this is increasing so much from from one year to now.
00:35:53:04 - 00:36:00:18
Pablo Martinez
It's increased so much and there's a lot of interest from from our sector in this. And this approach is.
00:36:00:20 - 00:36:14:02
Abigail Acton
It's a little bit like the metals that you're your extracting term. And as much as you know, buying them in is so very, very much more expensive. So it focuses the mind, I suspect. Any other questions? Well, yes, Tim, please go.
00:36:14:03 - 00:36:25:10
Tim Gent
Pablo, I'm just thinking you're using this substrate as a base ingredient, right. For fertilizers, Can you then customize fertilizers to different products using your substratum as a base ingredient?
00:36:25:12 - 00:36:55:21
Pablo Martinez
Yeah. Yeah, it can be. We can blend and other nutrients prior to pelletise the product, so it can be tailor made or formula. We can do a formulation on request from so many crops. In fact, we have to develop different fertilizers for a cereal, vineyards tomato, pepper, so we can add a lot of different nutrients. Yes, depending on the on the target crop.
00:36:55:23 - 00:37:00:11
Pablo Martinez
So, yeah, these are very advantage. These are great advantages.
00:37:00:13 - 00:37:05:19
Tim Gent
Sounds like you're on to a winner. There might.
00:37:05:21 - 00:37:16:02
Abigail Acton
Sounds like you're all on winners. I'm impressed by all of you. Well, thank you very, very much for your time. It's been a pleasure listening to you and hearing about your work. Thank you.
00:37:16:03 - 00:37:17:21
Pablo Martinez
Thank you very much.
00:37:17:23 - 00:37:18:24
Tim Gent
Much. Thanks very much.
00:37:19:02 - 00:37:20:00
Alfredo Neila
Thank you, guys.
00:37:20:02 - 00:37:43:04
Abigail Acton
All the very best to you all. Thank you. Are you interested in what other EU funded projects are doing to cut back waste and boost the circular economy? The Cordis website will give you an insight into the results of projects funded by the Horizon 2020 program that are working in this area. The website has articles and interviews that explore the results of research being conducted in a very broad range of domains and subjects.
00:37:43:10 - 00:38:01:17
Abigail Acton
From mollusks to meteors, There's something there for you. Maybe you're involved in a project or would like to apply for funding. Take a look at what others are doing in your domain. So come and check out the research that's revealing what makes our world tick. We're always happy to hear from you. Drop us a line. Editorial at Cordis dot Europa dot EU.
00:38:01:18 - 00:38:03:06
Abigail Acton
Until next time.
Insights and ideas
In 2018 the EU’s old rules on how to cut back waste and reduce landfill were revised and new targets set. Then along came the Circular Economy Action Plan which set out to help Europe move towards a carbon-neutral future with zero waste at the heart of the vision. To get down to specific examples: Did you know that it takes 3 to 4 tons of nitrogen-rich substrate to grow a ton of mushrooms? There’s a lot of it: over 3 and a half million tons are generated in Europe every year. What happens to that once the last mushroom is harvested? Recycling is a key battleground in combating climate change – but how can we sort through everything to reclaim what can be reused? Currently metals like aluminium, gold, silver and zinc can’t be economically recovered from mixed recycling – most recyclers do not have a sustainable solution for the separation and recovery of these valuable resources. How can that change? And then there’s industrial plastic. In Europe, 1.9 billion items such as plastic crates and pallets are used by transport companies and there are more than 20 billion plastic bins used on our city streets. When any of these break, they’re thrown away – billions of wasted items every year. What if they could be repaired cheaply and effectively, and be reused? Our three guests are working on finding the answers. Tim Gent is the managing director of Recresco, the British glass recycling company behind the OMR project. The company is using X-ray fluorescence, shape recognition and machine learning to make recycling more efficient. Tim’s interest is in how to make the circular economy more of a reality. The commercial managing director of the Spanish company, Plastic Repair Systems, Alfredo Neila worked on the PRS project, which repairs industrial plastic objects, such as crates and pallets, making repair more financially viable than throwing them away. Pablo Martínez is one of the brains behind Smartmushroom which has come up with a new way of treating the waste produced by the mushroom growing sector, transforming it from environmentally challenging by-product to valuable resource.
Happy to hear from you!
If you have any feedback, we’re always happy to hear from you! Send us any comments, questions or suggestions (but hopefully never a complaint!) to the usual email address, editorial@cordis.europa.eu.
Keywords
CORDIScovery, CORDIS, waste, recycling, repair, repurposing, glass, mushrooms, plastic crates, industrial plastic