“World-first” Geelong research could solve the scourge of plastic rubbish while providing clean water supplies for many international communities, Deakin University has announced.
A team at the Waurn Ponds Campus had developed solar-powered 3D printers fed with plastic litter to produce vital plumbing and sanitation supplies, Deakin said.
Children’s charity Plan International Australia would trial the Geelong technology in the Solomon Islands later this year.
“This kind of 3D technology can be used to rapidly replace broken plastic seals, pipes and other devices essential for water supply or sanitation. This is critical as many disaster zones and developing areas do not have reliable access to power,” team leader Dr Mazher Mohammed said.
“The important part of this project is its sustainability. Not only will the printer be able to use plastic rubbish found nearby but it will also run off a solar-powered battery.”
Deakin said Dr Mohammed had already produced 3D printing filaments from different plastic rubbish including milk bottles to print basic plumbing parts.
The potential applications of the technology were “limitless”, Plan Australia’s Tom Rankin said.
“This technology really lends itself to developing countries where plastic waste has exceeded the capacity of governments to manage it,” Mr Rankin said.
“In the streets of Honiara plastic is literally everywhere. It clogs up the drains and flows out into the sea, killing marine life.
“Our aim is to turn this plastic into useful parts. If we can prove the concept and get the technology working well, it can be used across a raft of different fields, not just water and sanitation.
“Really, you’re only limited by your imagination about what you can print. The potential for this is amazing.”
Deakin has a crowd-funding page at startsomegood.com/3d-wash-3d-printing-for-health-and-enterprise to help reach a $30,000 target for printer prototypes.
