Just 9% of plastic worldwide is recycled. Due to waste mismanagement, nearly three-quarters of it ends up in landfills or the environment.
Just 9% of plastic worldwide is recycled. Due to waste mismanagement, nearly three-quarters of it ends up in landfills or the environment.
So how can plastic recycling be more efficient?
A review article by University at Buffalo researchers summarizes the latest technologies and methods guided by process systems engineering approaches, from chemical solvents that can dissolve specific plastics to automated plastic sorting aided by artificial intelligence.
Selected as the cover article for the July 9 issue of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a journal of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the article concludes that solvent-based recycling is both a sustainable and economical option, but that replacing fossil-based plastics with biobased plastics remains a challenge.
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