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Millions of tons of plastic waste can be efficiently recycled in the near future. For this, a completely new method is supposed to be used. Multilayer plastic materials have become part of our life. They are used as packaging for food and medical products. It is the multi-layer that gives such a film important properties – heat resistance or oxygen and moisture control. But despite the fact that they are useful, it is not possible to recycle waste from them using traditional methods. About 100 million tons of multilayer thermoplastics are produced on the planet every year. They consist of 12 layers of different polymers.\nOf this amount, about 40 percent is waste from the process, and almost all plastic ends up in landfills or incinerators, since it cannot be recycled. Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison proposed a unique method by which they regenerated polymers using solvents. They called their achievement polymeric processing with solvent extraction and precipitation.
\nThe skilled person used a series of solvent washes. In doing so, they were guided by thermodynamic calculations of the solubility of polymers. They were provided by University of Washington professors George Huber and Reed Van Len. They managed to separate polymers in industrial plastics. It has a layered raw material composition, which includes polyethylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol and polyethylene terephthalate.
\nAs a result of processing, specialists received a material that has characteristics similar to those used for the production of the original film. With such an unexpected result, engineers believe that the process can close the recycling cycle.
\nAnd this will enable manufacturers to recycle 40 percent of the plastic waste that is generated during manufacturing and packaging.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"