Oregon’s plastics recycling business goes global, and the pioneering work of a recycled plastics lumber researcher is chronicled.
New plastic-to-fuels discovery: Scientists in the U.S. and China have discovered a new method for converting PE into fuels, sciencedaily.com reports. The discovery from scientists at the University of California, Irvine and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistryuses alkanes to separate polymer molecules into other compounds.
Recycling is global: The Bend Bulletin highlights the increasingly global marketplace for recycled plastics collected in Oregon. While the price of recovered plastic has taken a hit of late, companies continue to export and sell plastic to a wide range of countries, including Canada and China.
A plastic lumber breakthrough: A story on Rutgers Today explores the breakthrough research of Rutgers University professor Thomas Nosker into recycled plastic lumber. More than 30 years ago, Nosker began exploring the use of PET and HDPE plastics in lumber products and today he says he’s fast at work on producing a plastic from graphite used in pencils.
