Highlights
- Existing plastic recycling technologies are not viable. Therefore, very little plastic gets recycled. The USA only recycles around 4% of discarded plastic each year. Globally, the recycling rates are not much better at 9%.
- Our researchers discovered a natural, bio-based, binding agent that binds all plastic types together. No other binding agent makes all plastics bind together.
- The Plastonix technology uses a process that requires no sorting, cleaning (in most cases), or toxic chemicals. The Plastonix system is energy efficient, simple, inexpensive, and generates very low carbon emissions. Up to 10 plastic types can be processed together at once – even non-recyclable types.
Problem
After over 30 years of recycling, the USA still only recycles around 4% of discarded plastic each year. And globally, the recycling rates are not much better at 9%. Existing plastic recycling technologies are not viable. Therefore, very little plastics get recycled each year. The plastic recycling industry has stalled.
The Discovery
Plastonix discovered the common denominator of all plastics allowing them to naturally bind together. Through multiple tests within a lab environment, Plastonix researchers found a way to bind one or more petroleum-derived materials together at one time – even hard-to-recycle plastics. Petroleum-derived materials include materials naturally occurring in petroleum, such as paraffin wax, and materials synthetically derived from petrochemicals.
Feedstock
The Plastonix technology can process all types of “petroleum-derived material”. Our system can be designed to process more than one type of petroleum-derived material at one time. For example, at least two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten types of petroleum-derived materials can be combined at the same time. Our system can also process all manner of contaminant levels, forms, and/or material blends. For example, Plastonix can process asphalt shingles, Styrofoam, single use plastic shopping bags, plastic straws, plastics reinforced with a filler, plastics combined with an additive such as a flame retardant, elastomer, neoprene, rubber, automotive components, and so much more. Materials may be sorted or unsorted, cleaned or not cleaned, and may be a mix of virgin plastic and plastic waste.
Summary
Plastonix will continue to focus on R&D. And in so doing, its technology will continue to evolve.
[1] https://dbpedia.org/page/Binder_(material)
For more detail, contact Plastonix.