Purdue Develops New Way To Recycle Polyolefin Plastics Single-use plastic scrap continues to be a growing prob- lem internationally with only 9 percent of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced in the last 65 years being recycled. One of the biggest contributors to this issue is polyolefins, such as polypropylene and polyethylene. Researchers at Purdue University are working to solve that problem by commercializing a new process of recycling plastics called low-pressure hydrothermal processing. Pur- due University researcher and developer Linda Wang said the process is an economically and environmentally safer way to recycle polyolefin plastics than other methods, such as pyrolysis and depolymerization. Wang said her method of recycling polyolefins can cre- ate products like gasoline, diesel fuel and other high-value items. Low-pressure hydrothermal processing works by melting plastic in supercritical water using low pressure to convert plastic into naphtha.Once converted, it can be used as a feedstock for other chemicals or further separated into specialty solvents or other products.The process can recy- cle up to 90 percent of polyolefin plastics and takes about 45 minutes to complete,Wang said. The project is in the process of being commercialized by Hasler Ventures LLC.That company is working with Ameri- can Resources Corp. to build a plant in Fishers, Indiana. Dan Hasler, the company’s President, said the small-scale plant will go live in about two years.
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4 August 2, 2021 Recycling Markets
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