Materials Revolution

Transcription of audio description at Exhibition entry

This audio guide to Materials Revolution features four stops with information about the exhibition themes and descriptions of select displays. My name is Megan Fizell, and I am the Curator of Special Collections & Exhibitions at UNSW Library. You can access this guide on the UNSW Library exhibition page or by scanning the QR codes using your own device or smartphone in the space. This is stop one, the exhibition introduction.

Welcome to the exhibition Materials Revolution. The exhibition dates are 31 March to 12 September 2025, in the Level 5 exhibition space of UNSW Main Library. Plinths and display cases are positioned throughout the Galleries; some displays include banners suspended from the ceiling. The room contains two adjoining walls painted dark green. A television screen on the left wall shows a video surrounded by white arrow graphics in a large circle. A dark brown bench offers seating for visitors. On the right wall, a vertically oriented sign reads "MATERIALS REVOLUTION" in white letters. To its right, are two tall, narrow white panels with text.

The text reads: Materials Revolution is an exhibition showcasing transformative research by the UNSW Sustainable Materials Technology and Research Centre, referred to as SMaRT, to express a paradigm shift in how we need to view and utilise materials. Just as the Industrial Revolution reshaped 18th-century manufacturing with machines and the Technological Revolution of the 20th century brought us computers, Materials Revolution focuses on the transformation of materials themselves. This involves a significant rethinking of how we extract, produce, consume, and dispose of materials to reduce environmental impacts and excessive waste generation. Materials scientists and engineers are developing technologies that move from a linear manufacturing model of ‘take, make, dispose’ towards a circular economy system where materials from end-of-life products are recognised as valuable feedstock for future manufacturing needs.

The SMaRT Centre is a dynamic fulcrum for interdisciplinary collaboration, pioneering technologies that reform hard-to-recycle waste streams into valuable industrial inputs. Founded in 2008 by Professor Veena Sahajwalla, SMaRT tackles the critical issue of developing innovative solutions for problematic wastes not subject to conventional recycling. Through the pioneering concept of ‘microrecycling science’, SMaRT has developed cutting-edge technologies and MICROfactories that transform complex wastes into valuable materials and products, fostering resource circularity. By leveraging microrecycling science, diverse waste streams such as glass, textiles, e-waste, batteries, and plastics are transformed into new products, such as Green Metals, Green Ceramics and 3D printing filament. The Green Steel Polymer Injection Technology, referred to as PIT, also developed by SMaRT, uses waste rubber as a partial replacement for coke and coal needed in electric arc furnace steelmaking. Green Steel PIT enhances production efficiency, reduces emissions, and amplifies yields. These groundbreaking recycling practices embody the principles of a circular economy, paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient future.

Transcript of audio description at Gallery 1

This is the second stop in the audio guide for Materials Revolution. The exhibition space contains three walls; on the left is a large image of a pile of tyres split across three large panels and several vertical text panels leaning against a white wall. To the right, a dark green wall serves as a backdrop to a piece of machinery on a metal stand with a wooden platform, two framed images of a fiery industrial scene, and vertical information panels. A shimmering, curtain-like display of silver material hangs vertically against the far-right wall. In the centre of the room, two stacked black tyres sit beside a glass display case. On the right wall, a banner with the words “GREEN ALUMINIUM” in a green font hangs from the ceiling next to a projection screen cycling through footage inside factories documenting industrial processes.

The first display on the left is titled Green Steel and features information about Polymer Injection Technology, referred to as PIT, developed by SMaRT in 2003. This innovative technology leverages the crucial elements of hydrogen and carbon from waste tyres and plastics, using these wastes as a partial substitute for coking coal in electric arc furnace steelmaking. This diverts end-of-life vehicle tyres from landfills and repurposes them as raw materials in Green Steel production.

The audible rustling noise is from the Green Aluminium display in the far-right corner, which features a floor-to-ceiling installation of chip packets cut into narrow strips with the shiny interior reflecting the light. The SMaRT Centre developed a new aluminium recycling process called Green Aluminium Thermal Disengagement Technology, referred to as TDT, that effectively separates valuable materials from complex, polymer-laminated metal packaging. This microrecycling process targets multi-layered food wrapping like chip bags and coffee pods that contain a mix of plastic and aluminium. Green Aluminium TDT uses controlled heat to break down the composite packaging materials, allowing for the efficient separation and recovery of the aluminium component, transforming it into a high-quality material for remanufacturing.

Transcript of audio description at Gallery 2

This is the third stop in the audio guide for Materials Revolution. The exhibition space contains two walls; on the left is a vertical banner labelled "PLASTICS FILAMENT" in green font. Three plinths sit away from the wall, containing a mound of shredded plastic, a 3D printer, and a spool of plastic filament. On a dark green wall are white arrow graphics in a large circle. Grey plastic printer parts sit on the floor and lean against the wall on either side of large cardboard information panels. Finally, on the right are two framed photographs depicting magnified cross-sections of materials with distinct layers and textures.

This display is about ABS plastic, one of the most common materials used in electronic appliances due to its flexibility, impact resistance, and electrical insulation properties. It forms the basis of keyboards, computer and laptop enclosures, printer casings, routers, plugs, and connectors. The increased production and consumption of these devices, combined with their relatively short lifespans, has led to a growing problem of electronic waste, or e-waste, on a global scale. The SMaRT Centre collaborated with industry partners to transform plastics from e-waste into the first sustainable plastic filament for 3D printing. This allows it to be reformed into complex shapes for countless applications.

The adjacent right wall features an image of electronic circuit boards and wires split across three large panels and several vertical text panels leaning against a white wall. A glass display case in front of the wall contains various e-waste, mobile phones, and battery components. This display is about SMaRT's Green Metals recycling processes, which involve extracting metals and alloys, including rare earth metals such as aluminium, copper, cobalt, and gold, from electronic wastes like computers, phones, batteries, and photovoltaics. In 2018, SMaRT launched the world's first E-waste MICROfactorie with support from the Australian Research Council. Using specialised thermal techniques, it can recover and reform metals from e-waste. At the end of their life, these products present both a challenge and an opportunity. Although separating the components is difficult, e-waste contains high-demand metals that, once recovered, can be reused without the significant environmental impact of extracting virgin resources.

Transcript of audio description at Gallery 3

This is the fourth and final stop in the audio guide for Materials Revolution. Immediately to the left of the entry is an image of a pile of green glass bottles split across three large panels, with a narrow information panel on the left. A showcase with tile samples and small jars of shredded matter is directly in front. The adjacent, dark green wall has a vertical banner with the words “GREEN CERAMICS” in a green font to the left of a series of six square ceramic tiles made with shredded denim, ghost nets, coffee, school uniforms, face masks, and mattress flocking. White arrow graphics in a large circle enclose the three tiles on the right. In the corner, a grey display case with a clear acrylic top contains a large headstone with a circle cut through the middle and a small, oval-shaped container with a lid. A low bench is positioned in the centre of the room and faces a large projection documenting the production of ceramic tiles. To the right of the entry, an image of colourful threads tangled into a large mass is split across three large panels, with information panels overlaid. A narrow plinth contains a pile of used textiles.

The displays in this room are about Green Ceramics, a new generation of non-toxic ceramic products for use in buildings, furniture, and other applications. Green Ceramics technology combines pulverised glass with shredded textiles – which act as a bonding agent – in specific ratios using specialised MICROfactorie equipment to create sustainable ceramic products from waste. By utilising glass often considered too contaminated or complex for traditional recycling methods in their Green Ceramics technology, SMaRT converts this waste material into a usable form for remanufacturing. And with the onset of the fast fashion industry, additional solutions, like Green Ceramics, addresses the ever-increasing volume of waste textiles. SMaRT’s innovative system enables localised, on-demand production of materials and products.