RRTTC solves problems for business and industry,
educates students and the public

RRTTC's Materials Testing Service has added playground surface testing to its range of services.

The Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center (RRTTC) provides solutions to intractable solid waste problems for industry and the community and at the same time provides opportunities to students for experiential learning. Its constituencies include Iowa citizens, business, industry, and Regents university researchers and students.

Through its Materials Testing Service, a program developed in cooperation with Recycle Iowa, the RRTTC assists Iowa manufacturers that are replacing traditional materials with new and innovative composites such as cast metal, plastics and bio-materials. The testing service affords small- and medium-size Iowa companies access to the latest in mechanical, physical and chemical properties testing for the purpose of by-product re-utilization. Test services are tailored to each client's particular needs, and clients are assisted in product development whenever possible.

Testing services include chemical, mechanical and physical property tests for a wide range of metallic, polymer and cementitious materials. For example, mechanical and physical properties testing was conducted for a manufacturer of trash bins made of recycled plastic. The results revealed that impact strength was a potential problem for the bins, and reformulation of the material subsequently corrected the problem. Testing is initially provided to companies through a reduced-cost incentive program, in which qualifying companies pay one third of the testing costs.

Other outreach efforts by the RRTTC include programs to educate Iowans on sustainablility, public health issues related to solid waste problems and newly discovered approaches to recycling and reuse.

In addition to outreach, the RRTTC's major activities center around research and education. Through a competitive grants program, the RRTTC awards funding to established researchers in a wide variety of academic fields to conduct basic and applied research on issues related to recycling and reuse. The projects must also serve to educate students in recycling, reuse and resource minimization. Over 30 research projects have been supported to date.

Through participation in these projects and outreach activities, graduate and undergraduate students have opportunities for experiential learning that extends beyond the classroom. The RRTTC has provided in-depth research opportunities for over 100 student interns from a wide range of majors.      

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Last modified: 12/19/03