New material may revolutionise the way we recycle plastic

A new material which allows plastics to be broken down and recycled over and over again could spell an end to single use products.

Scientists claim that the plastic can be broken and separated from the additives commonly used in products, leaving behind the original high quality material.

The method, developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, may eventually be a solution to the tide of plastic waste clogging up our oceans and landfill.  

 

A new material which allows plastics to be broken down and recycled over and over again has been dubbed a ‘holy grail’ breakthrough. Scientists discovered that one type of polymer can be separated from additives after it is dipped in a highly acidic solution

HOW DOES THE NEW PLASTIC WORK? 

Most plastics are made of polymers, chains of hydrogen and carbon, obtained from petroleum products like crude oil. 

Polymers are composed of shorter strands called monomers. 

Many plastics can’t be reused due to additives mixed in with them, making them difficult to dispose of because the monomers can’t separate from them.  

The team were able to develop a type of plastic material, called polydiketoenamine, or PDK which when dipped in an acid bath, left behind its original monomers. 

Essentially, it means the base material can be fully separated from additional chemicals added later, giving the the plastic a new lease on life. 

A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, created the new recyclable plastic, whose parts can be reassembled into a different shape, texture and colour without loss of performance or quality.

A type of polymer, called polydiketoenamine, or PDK, can be successfully separated from additives after it is dunked in a highly acidic solution, which leaves behind the original monomers.

‘Most plastics were never made to be recycled,’ said Peter Christensen, a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry.

‘But we have discovered a new way to assemble plastics that ties recycling into consideration from a molecular perspective.’

Less than one third of ‘recyclable’ plastic is re-purposed after the recycling process. 

Recent studies have shown that they can only be recycled at a rate of 20 to 30 per cent because of these added materials.

When plastics are mixed together for recycling, the additives make the final product lower quality, which is why most recycled plastic is termed ‘downcycled’.

This means that instead of a container becoming another new container, it becomes a different, less useful product instead of completing the ‘recycling loop’.

‘Circular plastics and plastics upcycling are grand challenges,’ said Berkeley scientist Brett Helms, who led the research.

‘We’ve already seen the impact of plastic waste leaking into our aquatic ecosystems.

‘And this trend is likely to be exacerbated by the increasing amounts of plastics being manufactured, and the downstream pressure it places on our municipal recycling infrastructure.’ 

The plastic can be broken down using an acidic solution which separates them back into its original form or monomers which are of higher quality. To give plastics certain characteristics like toughness or colour, chemicals are added which from strong bonds with the monomers

The plastic can be broken down using an acidic solution which separates them back into its original form or monomers which are of higher quality. To give plastics certain characteristics like toughness or colour, chemicals are added which from strong bonds with the monomers

Most plastics are made of polymers, chains of hydrogen and carbon which are mostly gotten from petroleum products like crude oil. Many plastics can't be reused due to additives mixed with in with them, making them difficult to dispose of

 Most plastics are made of polymers, chains of hydrogen and carbon which are mostly gotten from petroleum products like crude oil. Many plastics can’t be reused due to additives mixed with in with them, making them difficult to dispose of

Most plastics are made of polymers, chains of hydrogen and carbon, obtained from petroleum products like crude oil. 

Polymers are composed of shorter strands called monomers. 

Many plastics can’t be reused due to additives mixed in with them, making them difficult to dispose of because the monomers can’t separate from them.  

The team were able to develop a type of plastic material, called polydiketoenamine, or PDK which when dipped in an acid bath, left behind its original monomers. 

Essentially, it means the base material can be fully separated from additional chemicals added later, giving the the plastic a new lease on life. 

To give plastics certain characteristics like toughness, flexibility or colour, certain chemicals are added which from strong bonds with the monomers.

While many polymers are thermoplastic, meaning they can be melted down and reused, the additives bonded to them can make recycling them difficult. 

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Chemistry.  

HOW MUCH RECYCLING ENDS UP IN LANDFILL?

Every day, millions of us drop a plastic bottle or cardboard container into the recycling bin – and we feel we’re doing our bit for the environment.

But what we may not realise is that most plastic never gets recycled at all, often ending up in landfill or incineration depots instead.

Of 30 billion plastic bottles used by UK households each year, only 57 per cent are currently recycled, with half going to landfill, half go to waste.

Most plastic never gets recycled at all, often ending up in landfill or incineration depots instead. Supermarkets are packed to the gills with plastic so I did my weekly shops at a farmers' market - something that may seem old-fashioned to ‘millenials’

Most plastic never gets recycled at all, often ending up in landfill or incineration depots instead. Around 700,000 plastic bottles a day end up as litter

Around 700,000 plastic bottles a day end up as litter.

This is largely due to plastic wrapping around bottles that are non-recyclable. 

Every year, the UK throws away 2.5 billion ‘paper’ cups, amounting to 5,000 cups a minute. 

Shockingly, less than 0.4 per cent of these are recycled.

Most cups are made from cardboard with a thin layer of plastic. 

This lining keeps your coffee warm and stops the cardboard going soggy, but also makes the cup almost impossible to recycle.  

 

 

 

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