Reducing E-waste by using artificial intelligence to develop repair diagnostic tools to increase lifespan of appliances.

Project ID: 2531bd1688

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Research Theme: Circular Economy

Research Area(s): Circular Economy
Sustainability

UCL Lead department: Mechanical Engineering

Department Website

Lead Supervisor: Mark Miodownik

Project Summary:

Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. With the United Kingdom (UK) generating ~25 kg of WEEE per person it is among the highest globally—the consumption and disposal of electrical and electronic products are on unsustainable trajectories. These trends are leading to exacerbated greenhouse gas emissions, depleted critical materials, and adverse pollution social and health impacts globally.

Electronic products are often thrown away due to a single faulty component. Many of them send up in landfill or incineration, others are exported abroad to be dumped in other counties. Due to increasing extended producer responsibility (EPR) and the UK Carbon Emission Trading scheme due to come into operation in 2028, the economics of this waste are set to change dramatically this decade. In this project we will develop scanning and AI methods to automatically assess and diagnose product faults. We will develop tools to certify the fitness for reuse and repair as well as their economic value to current supply chains, as well as environmental benefits. The project seeks to understand how digital passports can help build the reuse and repair economy.

The project is part of a multidisciplinary team including behaviour science researchers, economists, materials and design researchers as well as environmental science experts. Our aim to reduce electronic and plastic waste and builds on our previous work in this area [1,2]. The successful candidate will work as part as part of this UCL team and the EPSRC Sustainable Engineering Plastics Manufacturing Hub [3] in collaboration with Warwick and Manchester universities and more than 60 companies and organisations including JLR, Polestar, Siemens, BEKO, Bellway, and Biffa.

Refs.

  1. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainability/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1562615/full
  2. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainability/articles/10.3389/frsus.2024.1432655/full
  3. 3.https://www.ukri.org/news/new-research-hubs-to-cut-carbon-and-reshape-uk-manufacturing/