NSF Convergence Accelerator Track E: Glass Recycling to Restore the Coast

Tulane University, New Orleans LA

Investigators

Abstract

People rely on coastal resources for food, water, and energy. However, extraction of these natural resources over the last century has led to pollution and coastal land loss. This project aims to convert recycled glass back into its original form, sand, to support coastal restoration, preservation, and resiliency. The ReCoast Team consists of over twenty scientists and engineers conducting extensive regional economic, social, cultural, and environmental research to create long-term solutions for glass recycling and land preservation throughout the United States. To tailor these solutions to meet the needs of the community, the ReCoast Team has conducted interviews with residents, government organizations, local business owners, non-profit organizations, and students. From these interactions, the ReCoast Team has formed partnerships with organizations with aligned goals. Over the next two years, the ReCoast Team will adapt the lessons learned from their work in southeast Louisiana to other environments, including the Florida and Texas coasts and island nations. We rely on coastal resources for food, water, and energy. However, a century of extracting these natural resources has led to pollution and coastal erosion. Protecting and restoring our coasts while continuing to support the economies of coastal communities has never been more urgent. In the Phase I partnership between glass recycling startup company Glass Half Full and university researchers in chemical engineering, civil & environmental engineering, river & coastal engineering, and ecology & evolutionary biology, the team: (i) established the material and ecological safety of the recycled glass sand product, (ii) formed community partnerships for multiple demonstration sites in southeast Louisiana, (iii) evaluated value-added products for translation-readiness, and (iv) broadened participation through outreach to communities, interdisciplinary student training, and student service-learning projects. In Phase II, the team proposes to (i) carry out planned restoration projects, which we expect to attract investment in glass recycling and coastal restoration to sustain a blue economy network in Louisiana beyond the life of the project, (ii) bring value-added products to translation-readiness (TRL 6-7), (iii) conduct techno-economic, lifecycle, and multi-criteria decision analyses to support the economic and environmental cases for our proposed blue economy network, (iv) extend lessons learned from Louisiana coastal marshes to other ecosystems, and (v) expand their broadening participation efforts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.