New Recyclable Plastic Made of Super Glue Raw Material Could Be the Answer, Researchers Say

The solution to a global crisis, according to researchers, could be their new recyclable plastic manufactured from the same raw ingredient as Super Glue.

Almost 6 billion metric tons of plastic waste from all previously manufactured plastics eventually become nanoplastics. So far, recycling only accounts for less than 10% of this. Another issue is that the raw materials needed to make plastic come from fossil fuels.

New Recyclable Plastic

Two scientists specializing in materials from Boise State University have just created a new type of plastic that, unlike conventional plastics, isn't generated from crude oil and its derivatives, to make a small dent in that worldwide problem.

Nevertheless, even when the plastic is combined with other unprocessed plastic trash, paper, and metal, it can still be recycled into clean beginning materials in around 93% of the new plastic, according to small-scale lab trials that mimic industrial operations.

In their study, Allison Christy and research partner Scott Phillips describe the creation of a new kind of plastic based on polyethyl cyanoacrylate, sometimes known as PECA, which is made from the same monomer as Super Glue.

The study by Christy and Phillips was recently published in the journal Science Advances.

Christy and Phillips predict that their new recyclable plastic PECA material might take the place of polystyrene plastics if produced at industrial proportions. Plenty of these polystyrene plastics are not acceptable in the majority of curbside recycling programs, according to Insider - Reviews.

Although it would be excellent to substitute products made of polystyrene with those that are easily recyclable, polystyrene only makes up 6% of the current plastic waste, which is a minor portion of a much bigger issue.

Competitive Alternative to Plastic

Yet, Christy and Phillips believe that eventually, their new recyclable plastic could provide a competitive alternative to plastics other than polystyrene.

According to Christy and Phillips, PECA may be beneficial in other situations. This is because PECA has outstanding material qualities and is simple to recycle.

Everything that needs to be evaluated. The novel PECA plastic appears to have qualities similar to those of conventional polymers and will remain stable in hot, humid settings, according to early laboratory testing by Christy and Phillips.

Plastics are extremely diverse but also hard or impossible to destroy due to their resilience and resistance to degradation. They do, however, have the components for new plastics connected up in a tidy row. Yet, the majority of plastics are either thrown away or burned.

Recycling Plastics

Christy and Phillips demonstrated how the lengthy polymer chains of PECA plastic may be thermally "cracked" at 210 °C, with the resultant monomers being distilled into something similar to a clean product for reuse.

Recycling plastics is a good concept, but for consumers to support it, the proper procedures must be in place. In Norway, programs have been implemented that have resulted in 97% of plastic bottles being recycled, Science Alert reports.