Laila circles back to Monash to revolutionise plastic recycling with membrane technology

Laila Halim is passionate about sustainable engineering and creating a healthier planet for future generations.

After completing a double degree in Engineering and Science at Monash University in 2021, she gained valuable business experience working as a senior analyst with the global management and technology consulting firm Accenture, but found herself still driven to work at the front line of change.

Now Laila has returned to Monash as a PhD candidate in Chemical and Biological Engineering and is putting her engineering expertise to work on the huge global problem of plastic waste.

Her doctoral research project is investigating how to filter out useful components from the complex mix of breakdown products of plastic waste, using polymeric membranes in place of more traditional means of separation that require high energy inputs.

“Membranes are materials that act as filters and help separate components based on both physical attributes like size and chemical attributes like affinity to the membrane material,” explains Laila.

“Latest technology is allowing us to develop membranes that can provide highly specific separations while also using a lot less energy.”

“If we can separate the useful breakdown products of plastic waste in a cheaper and more energy-efficient way, then we hope this can make plastic recycling much more feasible.”

Furthermore, by identifying ways to upcycle or ‘valorise’ the chemical constituents of broken-down plastic into new products for use in the green energy industry, she hopes her work will contribute to Australia’s aspirations for a circular economy.

Laila is enthusiastic about the prospects of this approach and likes to see plastic waste as an opportunity rather than a burden.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) recently recognised both Laila’s academic record and the promise of her research by awarding her its Ezio Rizzardo Polymer Scholarship to support her PhD studies.