Researchers at Cardiff University in the UK are looking at greener, faster and more effective way of recycling plastics.
The ONESTEP project will use a microwave-based, zero-emission process to break down plastics into their chemical components for reuse in new high-quality plastic production.
There is £6 million in funding, which will underpin the work to cut the environmental damage that plastics cause, as well as increasing their longevity in use and boosting their value.
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Dr Daniel Slocombe, a Reader at Cardiff University’s School of Engineering and the ONESTEP project lead, said: “Recycling plastics is costly and energy-intensive, and also produces carbon emissions. Many types can’t be recycled at all, so a revolution is needed that makes it much easier to break down plastic waste into its molecular-level components and then use these to produce new, reusable plastics.
“ONESTEP aims to achieve this by harnessing our recent advances in catalysis using microwave-electromagnetic fields to process plastics more efficiently, in fewer steps and with better quality products, leading to a fully circular plastic economy.”
The EPSRC-BBSRC initiative reflects the need for fresh thinking to make plastics and their use more sustainable.
“Harnessing the extraordinary strength and diversity of the UK’s research base, these five projects all address substantial challenges in highly innovative ways. The potential prizes are huge: achieving a circular economy for plastics will unlock a host of vital environmental and economic benefits,” said EPSRC Interim Executive Chair Professor Miles Padgett.
“Locking into UKRI’s strategic theme of ‘building a greener future’, this new research will enable a significant shift away from the culture of limited use then disposal where plastics are concerned, and so help them continue to play a vital role in developed societies.”