Promoting the green economy

Embracing the principles of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12), "responsible consumption and production", the University of Malta has engaged in various collaborations with industry to promote a greener economy for Malta.

The WE MAKE project, funded by the Energy and Water Agency (EWA) and led by the Malta Business Bureau in collaboration with The Malta Chamber, seeks to deepen industry-academia collaboration and promote awareness of its opportunities.

A recent webinar on industry-academia collaboration exemplified what the EU's valorisation policy looks like in action and also involved MCST, Malta Enterprise and the Enterprise Europe Network.

The EU's valorisation strategy aims to bridge the gap between research, academia and the market. It aims to facilitate research and see ideas implemented to achieve a greener and stronger economy.

By promoting the commercialisation of cutting-edge research and fostering links between academia and industry, the EU seeks to create new economic opportunities and drive growth.

MCST has been hard at work on directly translating the EU valorisation policy into the Maltese context.

In an industry-academia research project related to sustainable systems and processes, it was fundamental to carry out an Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, comparing different scenarios and operational parameters. These assessments are necessary to ensure that the green solutions proposed do not come at the expense of higher overall environmental costs.

A case study in practice may be seen through the University of Malta's work with Toly, a leading manufacturer of cosmetic packaging products. A Life Cycle Assessment was carried out to assess the reusability and recyclability of one of Toly's package products. The study compared two design scenarios: one designed specifically for reusability and another for recyclability.

Counterintuitively, these two positive objectives can sometimes work against one another. After working through the various scenarios, the initiative identified that removing one of the components from the product, made from aluminium, allowed for significant carbon savings. The monomaterial product became single use but would, however, have a higher recycling potential and provide an overall more positive environmental benefit.

Another successful initiative was the Micro WatTS Project, a University of Malta-led consortium which included MCAST, SMEs and Italian institutional partners. This Interreg Italia-Malta project developed a micro greywater treatment system using photocatalytic surfaces.

A Life Cycle Assessment was carried out to compare how effective the project-developed system was when compared to Malta's Reverse Osmosis, groundwater abstraction and wastewater treatment systems. This assessment ensured that water savings would not come at the cost of an overall higher environmental footprint.

Through industry-academia collaboration, one is able to escape working in silos. The connection between energy efficiency and the circular economy, for example, is evident through the university's work on sustainable injection moulding with Toly. Active venting is used to improve filling, reduce the number of rejects and increase productivity.

Through innovation, quality can be improved while also reducing the overall energy consumption, without requiring bulky or expensive equipment. This initiative forms part of the Innovative Mould Vacuum System (VacuUM) project funded by MCST.

Another highly successful project funded by the ‘MCST R&I Fusion ‒ Technology Development Programme’ is the AIR SAVE project, a collaboration between the University of Malta and AIM Enterprises, a company that specialises in solutions for the automation industry.

The project aims to develop an intelligent system to autonomously monitor and control air and energy consumption of industrial compressed air systems and hence improve both the sustainability and competitiveness of manufacturing firms.

Stephen Borg, senior executive in the R&I Unit at MCST showcased the FUSION funding stream, a national funding portfolio which accommodates an extensive technology readiness spectrum. It includes programmes which are thematic to more specific or niche initiatives and has provided over €19.5 million in funding since 2015.

Success stories in manufacturing include HDMS, which was carried out between Carlo Gavazzi and the University of Malta. Through the TDP programme, a single-phase motor starter was developed with a start-and-run capacitor.

The resulting product is aimed at catering to heat pumps with limitations in the supply network. The HDMS can start a single-phase motor without an additional starter capacitor at full torque.

The Internationalisation Unit at MCST also facilitates projects across borders through various funding parallel streams. Similarly, the Enterprise Europe Network offers opportunities to network with academics and businesses across Europe.

The Post-Doc Fellowship Scheme, a programme launched by The Malta Chamber and the University of Malta, testifies industry-academia collaboration in action. Through this initiative, post-doctoral researchers can apply themselves to develop solutions that can be applied in local industry and scaled up for export.

Businesses interested in incorporating students into their operation for specific research projects, whether at PhD level or at a lower or higher level, are invited to get in touch to discuss further.

Paul Refalo is a senior lecturer at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Malta. Timothy Alden is senior projects executive for Sustainability at the Malta Business Bureau.

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