Breakthrough in Plastics Recycling Announced
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 - 13:59:29
A new technique to help process the vast quantities of plastics that are sent for recycling each year could mean that there is less concern about the environmental impact of this material, according to Lets Recycle.
This comes as a result of research conducted by DuPont Teijin Films, which has apparently led to the development of a technique involving a clever combination of chemicals that means PET plastics can be broken down and reused more efficiently than ever before.
At the moment the recycling of plastics is primarily carried out by mechanical means, which has a number of limitations and does not account for the use of many packaging materials, such as films.
The fresh approach which relies on chemicals could mean that a far wider array of plastics are eligible for recycling while also being capable of allowing for more complex and precise post-recycling uses.
Campaigns against the use of plastic in packaging for food have gained momentum in the past couple of years, with experts arguing that consumers should avoid this as much as possible because there are limited ways to make use of the material once it has been recycled. This should be overcome if mechanical processes are completely replaced by these new chemical alternatives, although whether or not there will be other implications associated with DuPont Tejin Films’ developments remains to be seen.
This is not the only PET plastic recycling technique which is being trialled and developed at the moment, with researchers generally agreeing that moving towards chemical recycling makes the most sense for this material both in terms of efficiency and usability.
Reducing the reliance on plastic packaging, whether for food or mobile phones, is something that entire industries are striving towards at the behest of governments and international regulatory bodies.
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