Upcycling Process Eliminates Sorting Novel method converts mixed plastic wastes into high-value products

摘要

A COALITION of researchers led by the U.S.Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory(NREL),Golden,Colo.,has developed a proof of concept for combining chemical and biological processes into a method that could expand the range of recyclable plastics by avoiding the need to sort plastics by type.Scientists from Oregon State University(OSU),Massachusetts Institute of Technology,the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Oak Ridge National Laboratory also took part in the study."Our work has resulted in a process that can convert mixed plastics to a single chemical product,"says Lucas Ellis,an assistant professor of chemical engineering at OSU in Corvallis,Ore.A recent article in Science explains how the researchers applied the method to a mix of three common plastics:polystyrene,polyethylene terephthalate,and high-density polyethylene.