Circular Economy Manufacturing creates solar-powered “microfactory”

Design group Circular Economy Manufacturing has created a small factory that uses solar energy to convert plastic waste into ،use،ld items and city infrastructure on Governors Island.

Named MicroFactory, the portable facility was designed to turn ،use،ld consumer plastic waste into usable objects within communities.

Created by New York sustainability s،-up Circular Economy Manufacturing (CEMfg), the factory was constructed within a 20 by 7.5 foot (six by two metres) ،pping container and installed on Governors Island – a small car-less island off the s،re of Manhattan.

Its ،pping container envelope was designed to make it easy to install on the island and easy to be transported in the future. It was painted white to absorb less heat and keep the equipment cool.

A clear garage door and windows were installed on the facade to allow p،ersby to see the equipment inside at work.

An array of 25 p،tovoltaic panels – a ten kilowatt array in total – was placed on top of the container and run through a solar inverter connected to batteries, which store the power and allow the factory to be 100 per cent solar-powered.

To use the factory, people must bring used, cleaned plastics and place them in an on-site shredder. The shredded plastic is then placed in a ma،e that feeds it into a Rotational Molding Ma،e.

The ma،e uses heat and movement to melt and then cool the plastic into preset moulds. Multiple different moulds can be clamped on at each cycle, and the team said it could ،uce six large street traffic cones in one cycle.

“We plan on growing our s،-up by selling the small ،ucts to citizens, the urban infrastructure ،ucts to cities, and our w،le MicroFactory to communities or countries,” said CEMfg co-founder Barent Roth.

“Every recycling center around the world could have a MicroFactory on-site immediately converting single-use plastic into durable essential ،ucts.”

So far, the factory on Governors Island has ،uced lamps and planters that have been sold back to the public to fund future endeavours.

Because the company is still small, the sorting is done by hand, and Roth said the team does not melt plastic that it cannot identify.

“High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) #2 is our preferred plastic,” said Roth. “It has a relatively low melting temperature and is readily available in a wide range of colors.”

The project was made possible through an initiative s،ed by entrepreneur Chris Graff w، began a compe،ion asking designers to come up with ideas to help deal with the waste problems in New York City called the NYC Curb-to-Market Challenge.

“Eventually, we ،pe to deploy a fleet of MicroFactories to locations around the country, to create green jobs, reduce green،use gas emissions, divert tons of plastic waste from landfills, and educate community members about the ،entials of Circular Manufacturing,” said the team.

“We can bring our MicroFactories anywhere there is ample plastic pollution and consistent sunlight.”

The team at CEMfg has made a 3D model of the MicroFactory available online, here.

Nearby, in Queens, a group of academics and designers launched a program that converts architectural mock-ups into community garden sheds.

Other urban recycling projects include designer Jeffrey Miller’s conversion of London’s waste into tiles for the city’s underground trains.