Process creates virgin quality plastics from waste

Researchers have developed an efficient process for turning used plastics into plastics of virgin quality, an advance that could improve the commercial viability of plastics recycling.

The process from a team at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden breaks down any plastic waste to a molecular level. The resulting gases can then be transformed back into new plastics that are the same quality as the original.

According to Chalmers, the new process could transform plastic factories into recycling refineries, within the framework of their existing infrastructure.

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​Plastics are a major environmental problem because they don’t break down and accumulate in ecosystems. The research team, led by Henrik Thunman, Professor of Energy Technology, sees this resilience as an asset. The fact that it does not degrade makes it possible for circular usage, creating value for used plastic and an economic incentive to collect it.

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