Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Currently, many industries including the automotive industry, are using toxic solvents, such as methylene chloride, and high amounts of water to clean different substrates, which is not an environmentally friendly solution for cleaning and preparing a surface. In addition, abrasive cleaning or blast cleaning to remove paint and rust from the surface of an object is common practice. For example, plastic media is used to remove the coating, without marring or pitting surfaces, warping, or damaging mechanical functions, bearings, or seals. This is economically more attractive, however, it does not eliminate the consumption of toxic chemical strippers and ultimately a better solution is neededEcomaterials Inc. is a small Canadian-based start-up company based in Oakville, Ontario, developing cleantech technologies and products that contribute to the protection of the environment. To decrease both the consumption of raw plastic and the cost of the process, Ecomaterials aims to collaborative with Lambton College to develop a low-cost and environmentally attractive blasting media from recycled plastics to be used for industrial coated surface removal. To do this, Ecomaterials and Lambton College will focus on the production of customized new material by reactive extrusion using waste plastic materials. The success of the proposed collaborative project will result in a produced material that is both reusable and without toxic solvents. This will have an environmental advantage and further contribute to the recycling cycle, as well as be more cost-effective. Further, the new material will have the ability to be customized based on different blasting applications. It is anticipated that the success of the proposed research will create additional revenue streams for Ecomaterials, create jobs, support the development of a pilot facility for production, and support recycled plastic processors through the development of the new market.