Japan: Developing new materials to replace concrete from recycled plastic and wood chips

Lixil Corp, a building materials manufacturer in Japan has developed an entirely new type of material made from recycled plastic and wood chips and can be used as an alternative to concrete or wood in all sections from sidewalks to furniture, it's called Revia.

The recycled plastic market is predicted to more than double in the current decade to $56.8 billion by 2029, according to a partnership with Exactitude Consultancy, and goods ranging from sneakers to luggage shopping are already in use. According to a report by the finance and growth cooperation group, only 9% of plastics are recycled worldwide.

Lixil, the manufacturing construction supplies along with plumbing supplies, said the new material (Revia) will solve one of the many challenges that have made additional recycling impractical or too expensive. Typically, some plastics, like PVC used in pipes and window frames, must be sorted and separated early before they become new goods. Especially with small plastic particles that are difficult to decompose, this can be troublesome when testing outside.

Revia is a new material made in Japan.

During Revia's manufacturing process, all plastics can be concentrated. The Company will grind it and use a proprietary adhesive to bind it to waste wood, creating a fabric that can be dyed to resemble concrete, bricks or other construction products.

In addition, it can be 3D printed to make furniture, however hopefully the most important implementation is for sidewalks and city squares. In the rare case that this material is used for all of Japan's paving needs, the Company estimates that it can recycle about half of the plastic that households in the country throw away.

Japan is the world's second-largest producer of plastic waste per capita after the USA, according to a U.N. report. Reducing the use of plastic can be troublesome in a rural place, where a particular person's meal is comparable to vegetarian food and fruits are sometimes wrapped in paper making it difficult to get carried away.

In the future, Revia can help shrink concrete consumption while reducing the amount of plastic waste.

In its latest sustainability report, Lixil said it aims to achieve CO2 emissions on the web by 2050 by "offering inexperienced services and products." Lixil said entirely new materials can be recycled.

The company has total revenue of about 1.4 trillion yen ($9.7 billion), which did not disclose Revia's total revenue estimates. It plans to start promoting the fabric next year and says it can ramp up production to slice 130,000 m² of 30-millimeter-thick blocks when it begins industrial production at a factory in western Japan next year.

The export was deliberate, though admittedly it could take time to convince mayors around the world to open sidewalks with Revia material.

Source: Ximang.vn