LSIWC researchers cooperate with the Hong Kong CityU
On 24 January 2025, Miķelis Kirpļuks, Leading Researcher at the Polymer Laboratory of LSIWC, gave an online guest lecture for the Advanced Treatment and Management of Solid and Municipal Waste course at the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong (CityU). Miķelis presented the topic "Polyurethane foam properties", which covered polyurethane foam materials, their applications and synthesis technology.
For several years now, scientists from the LSIWC Polymer Laboratory have been collaborating with the group of Professor Carol Lin from City University of Hong Kong on research into the further valorisation of oils and fats extracted from food waste to produce polymeric materials. The research led to the conversion of the oil fraction from food waste into a thermal insulation material with characteristics equivalent to commercially used materials.
The cooperation has resulted in high impact publications:
- Zi-Hao Qin, Anda Fridrihsone, Liang Dong Jin-Hua Mou, Yahui Miao, Lin Zhang, Chunbao Xu, Mikelis Kirpluks, Carol Sze Ki Lin. Environmental benefits of valorising food waste into bio-based polyols for the production of polyurethane rigid foams, Sustainable Production and Consumption, 51, 2024, 572-583, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.09.029
- Zi-Hao Qin, Anda Fridrihsone, Jin-Hua Mou, Ralfs Pomilovskis, Daniela Godina,
Yahui Miao, Ziyao Liu, Chi-Wing Tsang, Lin Zhang, Chunbao Xu, Shauhrat S. Chopra, Eliza Kaulina, Mikelis Kirpluks, Carol Sze Ki Lin. Valorisation of food waste into bio-based polyurethane rigid foams: From experimental investigation to techno-economic analysis, Chemical Engineering Journal, 493, 2024, 152680, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.152680
At the end of 2024, the leading researchers of the Polymer Laboratory Miķelis Kirpluks and Anda Fridrihsone visited Hong Kong CityU, where they got acquainted with the Laboratory of Waste and Biomass Valorization academic routine, participated in the meetings of the planned projects and agreed on further cooperation with prof. Carol Lin and prof. Charles Xu (Chunbao XU), head of the Advanced Biorefinery Laboratory at CityU. Several international collaborative projects have been submitted on the valorisation of food actrites to obtain raw materials for polyurethane materials.
During their visit, Anda and Miķelis also visited the industrial partner Plant Plant Holding Company Limited, where they were introduced to the company's production process and discussed cooperation opportunities to replace the fossil-based materials the company currently uses with materials partly developed from waste streams.
Anda and Miķelis point out that international cooperation opportunities not only broaden professional horizons, but also open doors to other horizons and new cultures!
