American scientists develop plastics that can be recycled and reshaped

American scientists announced that they have developed a new type of plastic that can be recycled and reshaped under room temperature and standard manufacturing pressures, providing new possibilities for solving the problem of `white pollution`.

The plastic products currently in use must be heated to 200 degrees Celsius or higher before they can be fully softened for reshaping. This method not only consumes a lot of energy and brings about certain environmental pollution, but also destroys the polymer chain of the plastic and reduces the strength of the plastic, making it impossible to recycle.

Anne Metz of MIT et al. found a novel substance in a mixture of stiffer polystyrene and another softer plastic. Under standard manufacturing pressure and room temperature, this mixture softens into a transparent plastic that can be molded into various shapes, and can be reused up to 10 times, its toughness strength remains unchanged.

The researchers said that if this new type of plastic can be put into industrial production, it will be a breakthrough in solving the problem of `white pollution`. However, unfortunately, the recycling classification of waste plastic products still needs to be completed by hand.

Source: China Chemical News