Dr. Hamid Karbasi, Conestoga’s NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Advanced Recycling Technologies for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), shared an overview of his research in an article published in the July/August 2017 issue of The Ontario Technologist
Conestoga's Dr. Hamid Karbasi has been working with faculty, students and industry partners to develop new solutions aimed at enhancing productivity and sustainability through e-waste recycling.
According to Karbasi, WEEE has become the fastest growing sector of solid waste with 40 to 50 million tonnes generated globally each year. Only 15 to 20 per cent of it gets recycled.
In September 2016, Conestoga was awarded $1M over five years through NSERC’s Colleges and Community Innovation program to support Karbasi’s applied research into WEEE. Karbasi has been working with faculty, students and industry partners to develop new solutions aimed at enhancing productivity and sustainability through e-waste recycling.
Karbasi’s research activities will result in new products that can be commercialized by local equipment manufacturers, as well as new processes that will generate value and cost savings across a range of manufacturing operations. This research will benefit manufacturing industries and electronic recyclers and result in increased proper e-waste treatment, recycling and landfill diversion rates.
In the article Karbasi also outlined the educational impact of his research, which will include development of new engineering curriculum in advanced robotics, applied real-time control systems, sensor technologies, artificial intelligence and new product design for the circular economy. Benefits to the province include job creation, sustainability, and modernization of manufacturing, distribution and waste management.
Published by the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT), The Ontario Technologist has an audience of more than 24,000 civil, electrical and mechanical engineering technicians and technologists throughout Ontario. Karbasi’s article is available on page 15 of the July/August issue