Microwave tech targets polypropylene waste

According to the West Virginia University (WVU) team behind the technology, the method relies on microwave radiation to heat an intermediary ‘catalyst’ material, which then transfers the heat to the polypropylene waste. Rather than breaking the material down into tiny pieces, the process converts polypropylene back into propylene, which can be reused in new plastics or other products.

“Currently polypropylene has a notably low recovery rate of only one per cent, meaning 99 per cent of polypropylene products become garbage,” said research lead  Yuxin Wang, WVU chemical engineer and assistant professor at the university’s Benjamin M Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. 

“We want to change that by using microwave irradiation to recover propylene from polypropylene.”

Used in everything from food packaging to car parts, polypropylene is the second most abundant plastic after polyethene. And with recycling rates so low, the WVU team claims new processes are essential to reduce the material’s environmental impact.