New technology allows plant-based plastic to be broken down and recycled efficiently to help solve plastic pollution.
The process involves manufacturing the hard plastic polymer with breaking points or sites of breakage that allow them to be chemically recycled, with 10 times as much efficiency. The polymers can be made with plant oils instead of fossil fuels. When heated to 248°F or 120° Celsius, in either ethanol or methanol, they break down from their complex polymers at a salvage rate of 96%. This development is revolutionary, considering that current methods of melting polymers only result in 10 percent usability.
The introduced breakpoints in the carbon chains of the polymer could also create a far more biodegradable plastic, which is something the German chemists who developed them are committed to exploring further.
What do you think of this innovation? Please leave a comment below.