Recently, US scientists announced a breakthrough in degradable polyethylene plastic waste indusry, not only provides a possible new way to solve the plastic waste pollution. Waste EPS and EPE foam has been called the "white pollution", and degradation products can also be used to produce clean diesel, promote carbon resource recycling.



The study was developed by Huang Zheng Research Group, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry and Governance, they cooperated with Irvine University of California. Related papers have been published in the latest US "Science Progress" magazine.

Waste plastic caused by the "white pollution", is one of the thorniest environmental problems around the world. The annual output of polyethylene is the largest in all of plastic products, but polystyrene also is one of the most stable polymer materials, it is difficult to degrade. Currently the vast majority of waste plastics, mainly recycled through landfill and burning, but the former occupied a lot of land resources and easily polluted groundwater contamination, which will result in increasing of air pollution.

In the new study, scientists used an alkane cross-metathesis catalysis strategy, used cheap and low-carbon alkane as a reactant and solvent and polyethylene recombination reaction, effectively reduced the carbon chain length and molecular weight polyethylene. A large number of low-carbon alkane is generated in the oil refinery byproduct, can not serve as fuel oil or natural gas, the use value is very limited.

Huang Zheng said, the new technology can degrade all types of polyethylene, including high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene and so on, and the catalyst is compatible with commercial grade polyethylene various additives. In real life, this technology can be used to degrade a variety of polyethylene waste plastic, including plastic bottles, waste plastic film and plastic bags and other waste.

Degradation of Polyethylene currently uses pyrolysis method, but this method often requires more than 400 degrees Celsius reaction temperature, and easily produced very complex products, including gas, oil, wax, coke, etc., the use value is low. But Huang also said that the cost of new technology has yet to be reduced. Next, they will develop a more efficient, more stable, low-cost recyclable polyethylene degradation catalyst.

However, INTCO GREENMAX researched and developed a series of foam recycling machines. The worker need put the EPS waste into the polystyrene recycling machine container and then the blade will crush the material into pieces with the electrical power. Then the pieces will be compressed into tight EPS block under the pressure. Thus, at last the incompact and big size EPS are compacted into regular and tight block. The recycling method is very necessary to protect global environment.