The goal of the project is to make the recycling of drywall easier and more accessible, allowing the products to be reused for other applications. Drywall recycling exists on the industrial scale and is an inconvenient disposal method for the general contractor to use. The team is developing a machine capable of breaking down drywall into its two main components, gypsum and paper, and using those products for a variety of other applications.

This project is being developed for the team’s MECH 490 Capstone class. In the medium and short term, communities at Concordia (such as the greenhouse communities, fine arts students, and CUCCR) can benefit from the products of drywall. Greenhouse communities can use the gypsum as a fertilizer, and fine arts students can use the paper for their projects or use it to produce new paper.

The drywall can be supplied from renovation jobs around campus. In the long term, the machine can be commercialized, and contractors can be incentivized to recycle drywall through using our machine, improving sustainability for construction, demolition, and renovation jobs. The machine can also be introduced to other universities to create a green environment around their campuses as well.