Expired Fire Extinguisher Powder Recycling - Experimental Development Project
Lead Participant:
PHOS CYCLE LIMITED
Abstract
**The Phos Cycle Experimental Development Project investigates up-scaling challenges to successfully recycle and up-cycle the 'Expired Fire Extinguisher Powder' (EFEP) chemical waste stream.**
By UK law, every 3 years fire extinguishers are required to be disposed of and replaced.
Industry-wide, all materials from an expired fire extinguisher are recycled; (i.e.metal cylinder sold for scrap metal, plastic and rubber hoses can be recycled) except for the EFEP. By law, EFEP cannot be reused, as it fails to satisfy the required safety and performance criteria.
Phos Cycle provides a comprehensive solution at scale to the chemical EFEP waste stream problem. EFEP is currently sent to landfills at a great economic and environmental cost, or and worse; illegally disposed of.
An indication of the scale of the problem is highlighted by the sheer size of the EFEP waste stream; approximately 98,000 Tons of this chemical waste powder is land-filled annually in the UK and Europe alone.
Through its proprietary process, Phos Cycle converts the EFEP waste stream to industrial phosphate-based value streams, thereby
1\. Negating the negative environmental effects of land-filling
2\. Reducing the associated disposal costs for our suppliers
3\. Minimizing the incentive for illegal disposal and
4\. Providing our customers with a sustainable (zero-carbon) alternative to conventional phosphate-based products, which are currently:
* Fossil formed
* Mined
* Ammonia processed (exhibit high carbon footprint)
* Import based products
Working in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, University of Greenwich and NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany), the Phos Cycle project will consider a variety of chemical and mechanical up-scaling process solutions, to recover the valuable components from this waste product so that it can be recycled back into commercial industries at scale.
With an already operational Pilot Plant and IP certified, Phos Cycle and it's academic partners are best suited to tackle the final innovative work packages for the project to move from TRL5 to TRL 8\.
Phos Cycle's vision is to recycle 80% annually of the UK EFEP waste stream market within the first two years of full-scale plant operation on behalf of the UK companies in our value chain.
Our project aims to make the UK the innovation center for the recycling of fire extinguisher powder: A global waste stream problem with the innovative solution and successful industrial operation in the UK.
By UK law, every 3 years fire extinguishers are required to be disposed of and replaced.
Industry-wide, all materials from an expired fire extinguisher are recycled; (i.e.metal cylinder sold for scrap metal, plastic and rubber hoses can be recycled) except for the EFEP. By law, EFEP cannot be reused, as it fails to satisfy the required safety and performance criteria.
Phos Cycle provides a comprehensive solution at scale to the chemical EFEP waste stream problem. EFEP is currently sent to landfills at a great economic and environmental cost, or and worse; illegally disposed of.
An indication of the scale of the problem is highlighted by the sheer size of the EFEP waste stream; approximately 98,000 Tons of this chemical waste powder is land-filled annually in the UK and Europe alone.
Through its proprietary process, Phos Cycle converts the EFEP waste stream to industrial phosphate-based value streams, thereby
1\. Negating the negative environmental effects of land-filling
2\. Reducing the associated disposal costs for our suppliers
3\. Minimizing the incentive for illegal disposal and
4\. Providing our customers with a sustainable (zero-carbon) alternative to conventional phosphate-based products, which are currently:
* Fossil formed
* Mined
* Ammonia processed (exhibit high carbon footprint)
* Import based products
Working in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, University of Greenwich and NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany), the Phos Cycle project will consider a variety of chemical and mechanical up-scaling process solutions, to recover the valuable components from this waste product so that it can be recycled back into commercial industries at scale.
With an already operational Pilot Plant and IP certified, Phos Cycle and it's academic partners are best suited to tackle the final innovative work packages for the project to move from TRL5 to TRL 8\.
Phos Cycle's vision is to recycle 80% annually of the UK EFEP waste stream market within the first two years of full-scale plant operation on behalf of the UK companies in our value chain.
Our project aims to make the UK the innovation center for the recycling of fire extinguisher powder: A global waste stream problem with the innovative solution and successful industrial operation in the UK.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| PHOS CYCLE LIMITED | £372,354 | £ 167,559 |
Participant |
||
| INNOVATE UK | ||
| UNIVERSITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON | £45,669 | £ 45,669 |
| NATIONAL INST OF AGRICULTURAL BOTANY | £51,809 | £ 51,809 |
| UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH | ||
| UNIVERSITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON | ||
| UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH | £48,156 | £ 48,156 |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Omair Mahmood (Project Manager) |