Abdul Hakim Mahmoud
Since its invention, plastic waste has been a burden on ecosystems because it is indestructible and accumulates over the long term and is a major problem for the environment. In order to solve the problem of plastic pollution, researchers are seeking to create new types of biodegradable plastics.
Plastic Poly-Dictonein
The journal Nature Chemistry recently published a study entitled "Recycling of plastics by detoxinamine bonds", which included the results of a team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy.
They have created a new type of plastic that can be used in the manufacture of recyclable products known as poly diketoenamine (PDK).
The new plastic is characterized by the possibility of destruction and recycling constantly and without limits, by resolving the links between chemicals and additives and monomers when immersing plastic in a very acidic solution.
Scientists say all plastics are made up of polymers at the molecular level, which are long, repetitive chains of molecules that are usually oil derivatives, which in turn are made up of compounds containing carbon, known as monomers or monomers.
| Monomers can be separated from chemical additives in a process that involves placing the plastic in a high acidic solution (Lawrence Berkeley) |
These chemicals are attached to monomers that remain in plastics even after being processed in recycling plants. The problem arises in the possibility of recycling plastics when manufacturers use recycled monomers to make new plastics without knowing the properties The chemicals that are associated with these monomers.
Monomers can be separated from chemical additives in the new plastic in a process that involves placing the plastic in a high acidic solution, where the acid helps break the bonds between the monomers and separates them from the added chemicals, which prevent decomposition.
The researchers say the new material is a plastic polymer that can be analyzed into parts at the molecular level and can then be rebuilt to form plastic products in different shapes, structures and colors, a process that can be repeated several times without losing quality.
The researchers plan to develop plastic (PDK), which features a wide range of thermal and mechanical properties, to be used in various types of fabrics, third-generation printing materials and foams, and are looking to integrate plant materials into the process.