Researchers at the School of Packaging at Michigan State University have made a significant breakthrough in the field of chemical plastic recycling using ordinary table salt (NaCl). They employed a polyolefin blend of various types of plastic and metalised films as test subjects and used pyrolysis—a method involving high heat and an absence of oxygen—for the recycling process. The study demonstrated that table salt could effectively and efficiently facilitate the pyrolysis of these materials, converting 100% of the polyolefin blend into oil (86%) and gas (14%) without any undesirable byproducts. Notably, table salt outperformed more expensive catalysts. The researchers are now eager to collaborate with industry partners to commercialise this approach.
This is one of 7,575 initiatives posted to ThePackHub’s Innovation Zone platform.
