Laser-Based Approaches toward Closed-Loop Manufacturing

The volume of machining waste, including cutting and milling chips as well as grinding and slicing swarf, generated in manufacturing industries is enormous, posing significant economic and environmental challenges to society. Conventional remelting-based recycling methods are energy-intensive, sensitive to impurities, and unsuitable for achieving high-value-added manufacturing. Therefore, it is essential to develop novel approaches for the direct reuse of these waste streams in order to preserve material resources. This talk reviews state-of-the-art research and development on the direct reuse of various machining wastes as material sources for high-value-added manufacturing, with a focus on establishing closed-loop material cycles. As illustrative examples, recent work by the speaker’s group on the laser-based synthesis of micro- and nanostructured materials—such as Si@C core–shell nanoparticles and SiC@C nanowires—from silicon sludge generated during ingot and wafer slicing and grinding processes will be presented. These approaches offer promising pathways for fabricating high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Finally, future challenges and potential solutions in this emerging field will be discussed.