ERCR - European Research Centre for Recycling

The European Research Centre for Recycling (ERCR) was founded on April 2013 at Oporto, Portugal. The centre is composed of a strong consortium of European recycling companies that deal with the treatment of different types of residues: urban and industrial (hazardous and non-hazardous), hospital waste, end-of-life vehicles, electric and electronic equipment, construction and demolition, agriculture and livestock. The ERCR intends to be a technological reference, contributing to the efficient improvement of several recycling processes and promoting the transfer of technology between academia and industry.

The main purpose of the ERCR is the contribution to the environmental sustainability by means of making recycling cheaper. It is expected that the technology developed in the centre will enable the attainment of products made of recycled materials that can compete with the non-recyclable products, such as composites for automobile and aerospace industries, fuels for industry, production of resin, glues and biodegradable plastics among others. The centre will also develop projects of equipment that allow an effective use of residues, decreasing its deposition in landfills, as well as projects to improve the efficiency and cost of separation techniques, namely for mixed plastics. Other scientific activities with fundamental economic value shall also be developed at the ERCR.

The scientific council of the ERCR is composed of a group of established researchers with great contributions in the different fields that are connected with the centre’s activity. The ERCR intends to balance the maturity of the scientific council with bright young researchers, who can fulfil their potential at the ERCR. Thus, the different R&D departments of the centre will receive young doctorates of several fields of knowledge, such as chemical engineering, biology, biotechnology, industrial design, environmental sciences, among others. The ERCR is also expected to generate indirect employment and industrial development, since it will require the use of equipment, outsourcing services, execution of prototypes and new products.

Bearing in mind the importance of knowledge as the key factor to successfully reach the ERCR’s goals, several protocols with European and American universities have been signed in order to take advantage of the national and international recycling know-how.