Centre of Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT@UNSW)

Overview of SMaRT

The Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) brings together researchers from the Faculties of Science, Engineering, Built Environment and ADFA to work with industry on the development of innovative, sustainable materials and manufacturing processes.

Achieving sustainability targets set by industry has created a need for commercially relevant and globally significant R&D. The SMaRT Center works with industry partners to develop the fundamental and applied science underlying sustainable materials and technologies

SMaRT brings together the distinctive research capabilities of UNSW's academics and a track record of delivering research and technology suitable for rapid implementation.

The overall aim of the Centre is to develop innovative, sustainable materials and processes through world-class research, with strong emphasis on environmental and economic benefits.

Goals of the Centre

• Lead scientific and engineering advances in sustainability of materials and associated technologies
• Strengthen links with local and international institutions and industries for research into developing sustainable materials and associated technologies through ARC Linkage Grants, ARC Discovery Grants Industry Funds, and visiting researchers
• Facilitate rapid transfer of technology by addressing the scientific & engineering barriers

Research Partnerships and Capabilities

SMaRT has strong relationships with Industry and Research partners from the metallurgical, material, construction and mining sectors across the globe. The Centre has almost 20 researchers, 40 postgraduate students. The Centre also has state-of-the-art Research Infrastructure funded through the Vice- Chancellor's strategic priorities funding, along with well-equipped sustainable materials laboratories.

Research Areas

• Recycling and renewable materials to develop innovative recycling methods and maximise industrial wastes usage in materials processing.
• Enhancing the sustainability of existing materials and processes by developing alternative solutions for manufacturing processes
• Developing new sustainable materials and processes.
• Life-cycle assessment of materials and processes to develop life cycle based models for the design-to-disposal of materials.

Awards for Research Excellence

Josef Kapitan Award AIST USA (2009, 2003); Environmental Technology Award AIST USA (2006); Charles Briggs Award AIST USA (2006); Eureka Prize for Scientific Research Australia (2005); Benjamin
Fairless Award AIST USA (2004); Frank McKune Award ISS USA (2002, 2003).

Track Record

The Centre has carried out pioneering research in developing the technology for utilisation of recycled plastics and rubbers in EAF steelmaking in partnership with Australian steelmaker OneSteel. The studies showed that addition of polymers would enhance the efficiency of the steel making process, decrease the consumption of carbon as well as lower the electrical energy requirements.

Contacts:
Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla
Director of SMaRT@UNSW