Acoustic Metamaterials Group (AMG), a Hong Kong-based smart materials and acoustics company, is expanding the use of recycled plastics in the construction industry to help reduce its carbon footprint and reduce noise pollution. That’s what I’m aiming for.
According to founder and director Chen Shuyu, the startup’s manufacturing technology can upcycle plastic waste and use it in noise control products, making it comparable to traditional materials such as rock wool, fiberglass and foam. It is said that it is possible to achieve acoustic performance that is even better than that.
“Almost all types of materials used for soundproofing purposes in buildings and soundproofing walls can be replaced with recycled plastics,” Chen said. He is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion on construction at the Green Tech Summit in Hong Kong on Monday. Green Week sponsored by the government.
Chen said AMG’s sustainable manufacturing process uses upcycled plastics to create noise-absorbing, multifunctional materials called metamaterials, and the company’s technology has been shown to reduce plastic waste and noise pollution. He added that it would solve the twins’ environmental problems.
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According to AMG’s product catalog, metamaterials can be used to modify the structure of solid surfaces, such as plastics, to achieve sound absorption equal to or greater than that of traditional sound-absorbing materials, without introducing new components. That’s what it means.
Chen added that recycled plastic is collected from factories in mainland China where AMG products are manufactured, which reduces overall manufacturing costs.
Founded in Hong Kong in 2014, AMG’s products are in commercial use in multiple industries, including Hi-Fi and smart wearable devices, automotive, consumer electronics, construction, electrical and mechanical systems, and home appliances.
In 2022, Mr. Chen’s R&D platform, Lumi Technology, will receive HK$3.4 million (US$435,000) from the government’s Green Tech Fund to test manufacturing technology for more types of high-efficiency sound-absorbing materials from recycled plastics. ) received a grant.
The Hong Kong government has allocated HK$400 million to the Green Tech Fund, established in 2020, to support research and development projects to advance the city’s decarbonization efforts and improve environmental benefits.
AMG has a production capacity of 200,000 square meters of metamaterials per year, some of which is made from recycled plastic.
AMG noise walls and road barriers have been used at construction sites by developers in Hong Kong since 2020. AMG products are also exported to China, Japan, the EU and the UK.
Chen said the company’s goal is to use a higher proportion of recycled plastic in the production of noise-canceling products used in buildings and road barriers.
“We are the leaders [promoting] This concept,” he said.