Researchers at Louisiana State University have developed a new, inexpensive method for breaking down and recycling plastic, LSU Innovation reported.
The method uses electromagnetic induction heating to melt the plastics down from the inside out, using far less energy than melting them using traditional heating methods would. It also produces far less polluting byproducts such as methane than traditional recycling processes, the researchers said.
Special magnetic materials and catalysts break down difficult-to-recycle types of plastic, including polystyrene and high- and low-density polyethylene.
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Definitely 👍 Plastic pollution is a huge problem for our planet. As one of the researchers behind the method — James Dorman, a program manager with the U.S. Department of Energy — pointed out, "Some estimates show as much as 95% of plastics in the U.S. ends up in landfills and incinerators."
Inventing more efficient and less costly processes is an important step in building up the United States' woefully inadequate recycling systems. Vastly improving our recycling rate is not some pie-in-the-sky fantasy, either — it is eminently doable. In fact, countries such as South Korea, which recycles 80% of its plastic waste, Germany, and Austria already have enviable recycling rates.
"This breakthrough in plastic recycling is a crucial step," LSU vice president of research and economic development Robert Twilley said.
The amount of plastic waste that ends up in nature, where it has devastating effects on wildlife, is also staggering. Even if we were to cease production of all virgin plastic — which won't happen any time soon — it would still be crucial to have ways to efficiently recycle all existing plastic.
"By recycling these chemicals, we can help reduce the need for new fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions," chemical engineering professor Kerry Dooley, the other half of the research team, said. "Basically, our extraction process helps clean up the environment and creates a way to make money from what was once trash."
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