Apr 19, 2021 07:00 AM EDT
Scientists at Ames Laboratory s Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP) have discovered a chemical method that turns recycled plastics into biodegradable, use chemicals that can be used as surfactants and detergents in a variety of applications. Plastics may have more sustainable and cost-effective lifecycles as a result of this process.
(Photo : Magda Ehlers)
The researchers focused their efforts on deconstructing polyolefins, which account for more than half of all recycled plastics and are used virtually every product imaginable, including toys, food packaging, piping systems, water bottles, clothes, shoes, vehicles, and furniture. You might call plastics, especially polyolefins, too successful, said iCOUP Director Aaron Sadow. They are good for all of the applications that we need them for - solid, lightweight, thermally stable, chemically resistant - but the issue arises when we no longer use them.