Plastics & rubber recycling
At the University of Groningen researchers are constantly working on many different types of plastics and rubber and finding ways to recycle them.
Below you will find articles on different plastics, rubber and various approaches to recycling.
Green plastics research - Katja Loos
Plastics are incredibly convenient, but also generate a lot of waste. And they are usually made from fossil raw materials, which is bad for the climate. Bio-plastics from vegetable raw materials are an alternative, but how do you make truly green plastics? Scientists at the Faculty of Science & Engineering are working hard on that.
‘If you want green plastics, you have to take their entire life cycle into account,’ says Katja Loos, Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry. ‘From the source of the raw materials, via the synthesis of plastics, to the production of plastic products and their end-of-life.’
Recycling your bulletproof vest in a microwave reactor
Twaron and Kevlar are brand names for aramid fibres, which are strong as steel yet much lighter. They are used to make bulletproof vests, strong ropes, and high-performance car tires, for example. These extremely tough materials have one drawback: they are very difficult to recycle.
Polymer scientists at the University of Groningen and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the Dutch company Teijin Aramid, have developed a novel microwave-assisted chemical recycling process for aramid fibres, as described in a publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on 21 February.
The new technique uses a microwave reactor, which accelerates depolymerization at lower temperatures and requires no organic solvents. The process has a conversion rate of 96% in 15 minutes.
Plastic recycling: how to best reuse carbon atoms
The amount of plastic waste is enormous: worldwide, some 350 million tons are discarded per year, i.e. over 40 kilograms per person per year. Scientists at the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) are working on new ways to recycle plastic waste into new, high-quality products.
Recycling is a complex process: there are many types of plastics that require different approaches to recycling, explains Professor of Chemical Technology Francesco Picchioni.
‘At the University of Groningen, we have a unique position when it comes to the research into recycling: we work on recycling many different types of plastics, covering well over 80 percent of all plastic produced. I don’t know any other institutes with a similar wide range.’
How a contrarian cracked rubber recycling
A small company in Grootegast produces bicycle baskets and slippers from recycled rubber. That is remarkable because, until recently, it was impossible to recycle rubber. However, Francesco Picchioni, Professor of Chemical Technology at the University of Groningen, and Ton Broekhuis, now Emeritus Professor, discovered how this could be done.
Read all about it in this Broerstraat5-article
Plastic recycling: with a little help from bacteria
Researchers at the University of Groningen are working on many different types of plastics and what is needed to recycle them. Edita Jurak is looking for bacteria and their enzymes that can help us recycle plastics and clean up the environment.
‘I have found bacteria that can live off plastics in lakes here in Groningen,’ says biochemical technologist Edita Jurak. ‘These microorganisms have all the enzymes needed to break down plastics to carbon dioxide and water.’
There are several advantages to using bacterial enzymes for recycling, Jurak explains: ‘They are often cheaper than chemical reagents and more environmentally friendly, as enzymes work best at mild temperatures and don’t require toxic solvents that are often used in chemical processes.’
Katja Loos is researching plastics for a sustainable future
Per person, we throw away about 33 kilos of plastic packaging per year. This needs to change, according to Katja Loos, Professor of Polymer Chemistry. She recently organized the European Polymer Federation conference in Groningen, titled ‘Polymers for a Sustainable Future,’ with over 1,250 participants from 60 countries.
Katja Loos explains how she sees the future of pastics, and what it will take to get there.