Waste Not…

I've often wondered would it be possible to dissolve plastics in a suitable solvent then blend it back in with raw crude (or appropriate fraction) for reprocessing? Lot's of potential energy sitting there.

Polyolefins, by their nature, will not dissolve in any solvent that would be useful in this respect.

I think that the main problem is segregation of the different polymers.

One thing that is OK about this is that in the future, we'll be able to trawl the oceans and mine the landfills for our materials. Instead of wasting time, materials and energy making virgin resins, there will be a time in the future when it will be more profitable to recycle than it is to start fresh.

The other thing is that if the recycling process can be kept in a closed loop, it will be possible to harvest the chemicals that are used in the process. Many of the toxic byproducts of certain plastic recycling processes are actually industrial chemicals that are in high demand in other industries.

The trick is learning to sort out the soup. You can rest assured, though, that there are people working on this, and that ironically, the plastics industry will be the central body in resolving the plastics mess. It won't be in any punitive fashion, either.

It just makes economic sense. Today's waste is tomorrow's treasure trove.

One of the biggest problems with recycling plastics is the lack of a closed loop system like is in the metal industry. Most plastics end up in landfills because of this problem. If you come across a beer can you know if you pick it up it can produce money for you but what can you do if you come across a piece of fiberglass or a section of plumbing pipe? Some plastics are making this switch to being recycled, milk jugs can be endlessly recycled, and more of the composite and plastic industry needs to start sourcing the materials that are being collected instead of always using virgin materials. Virgin glass in fiberglass products can be replaced many times with recycled fiberglass at rates between 20% to 100% depending on the type of product. There are very few manufacturing plants that take advantage of recycling as an in house process in the future this will change as more companies see the need to stop sending their raw materials to the landfill.

Bruce

ECO-WOLF INC.