Chemical engineers from Columbia University, New York, have established a partnership with the Chinese group Bautou Iron and Steel Co. to repurpose waste for use in a range of industries.
Columbia Engineering Lab designed a prototype unit to process waste slag for repurpose in various industries, including paper, plastic and cement. The chemical process draws on mineral carbonation and rock weathering. The engineers also hope to reduce its overall carbon emissions by using industrially emitted carbon dioxide (CO2) as one of the reactants.
A spinoff from the Lab, GreenOre CleanTech LLC, is now designing the first commercial pilot plant, planned to to be built in Inner Mongolia in 2017, for operation by mid-2018.
