Project aims to take renewable, recycled rebar into production

University of Southern Queensland has shared details of a collaboration between its researchers and building materials company Inconmat, supported through the latest round of Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) grants.

The team’s work is focussed on an answer to the corrosion issues that come with steel reinforcement bars used in concrete structures.

The project is for development and manufacture of substitute materials composed of “renewable glycerol-based resin systems (bio-resins), recycled glass and plastics,” according to a statement from UniSQ on Thursday.

The new material, a glass fibre-reinforced polymer, has twice the strength of steel and a century lifespan, said Professor Allan Manalo.

“Our national construction industry uses around one billion meters of steel reinforcing a year,” said Manalo.

“There are several alternative reinforcement materials available overseas but import times and shipping expenses make them costly.

“They are also manufactured using expensive thermoset resin systems and use natural sand for surface coating.”

The project was awarded $1 million in the latest CRC-P round, which was announced last month.

It includes investigating different formulas for novel GFRP bars, testing their properties at UniSQ’s facilities, and helping facilitate commercial production at Inconmat’s factory.

Picture: Manalo and Dr Omar Alajarmeh (credit UniSQ)

Further reading

19 COMPANIES SUPPORTED IN CRC-P GRANTS

A CRC-P IS NOT A MINI-CRC