The Coolest Thing We Saw at NPE on Day Three: UBQ’s Alchemy

UBQ Materials literally epitomizes the concept of “trash to treasure.” The Israel-based cleantech firm takes common household garbage — from banana peels to  dirty diapers — and removes any abrasive metals or minerals. It then uses its patented conversion process to turn that rubbish into thermoplastic resin pellets that can be molded or extruded on standard equipment. 

Albert Douer, UBQ’s Colombian-born chairman and co-CEO, is using his company’s NPE booth (S18027) to showcase the many types of end products that can be made from the resulting materials. The stand is displaying more than 35 products from across four different industries — consumer durables, building and construction, automotive parts, and supply chain and logistics.

UBQ recently started up its first commercial production facility in the Netherlands, which has the capacity to produce 80,000 tons of UBQ materials a year, and is just opening its first US office in Miami, Douer said at the show.

Check out some other cool stuff we found at NPE: A fantastic VR voyage into a mold, a medical-grade resin that found a second life in a bottle opener, and a fizzy first.

NPE2024 runs through May 10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.