Scientists at the US Department of Energy have invented a new kind of plastic that might turn out to be a game-changer. This plastic can be recycled any number of times without any loss of performance.
Yes, this was the discovery that the Earth was waiting for! Read on!
A new kind of plastic called poly(diketoenamine) or PDK has been recently invented back in the US that can actually be recycled (not just recycled but ‘upcycled’ too).
When dunked into a highly acidic medium the material breaks down on the molecular level.
Just like Lego blocks these can then be reassembled to form new products with the desired qualities like that of color or flexibility by adding additional chemicals. The good thing, the plastic doesn’t loose its properties even after multiple recycling sessions, thus called ‘circular’ plastic.
The most recyclable plastic till now, PET — poly (ethylene terephthalate) on the other hand- is only recycled partially at a rate of 20-30%. The rest has to wind up in incinerators, landfills, or oceans, or left to clog the Earth for a few centuries until it decomposes.
But this is going to change soon. PDK for sure is a breakthrough in the history of Earth as one final ‘holy grail’ of plastic is here.
Image Credits – Mother Nature Network
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