Scientists Develop New Plastic Type That Can Be Recycled Indefinitely

Overuse of plastics is causing the?disruption of various ecosystems?on planet Earth. Recycling plastic is thus the new norm being followed across the globe. A new research now claims to improve this recycling efficiency with a new type of plastic.

That is because this new type of plastic is able to retain its initial qualities upon recycling. The new plastic has been discovered by an international team of scientists from China, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. in a new study.

Now published in the journal Science Advances, the study highlights a “unique class of polythioester materials derived from the bridged bicyclic (BTL).” These materials are claimed to have “both intrinsic chemical recyclability and crystallinity as well as an unusual set of combined high-performance properties such as high thermal stability, crystallinity, strength, ductility, and toughness.”

(Representative Image: Reuters)

In other words, the newfound plastic is more durable than the existing plastics and can be recycled repeatedly without losing its chemical properties. It is this recyclability that can make it a much better and?greener alternative to the present day plastics.

Repeated Recyclability

In order to establish that the resulting PBTL could be recycled repeatedly, the researchers broke it down to its original monomer and then recreated the plastic from it. This was done in two successive tests with and without using a catalyst. Each time, the PBTL broke down to its original monomer.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

The researchers were then able to develop new batches of PBTL using the monomers from both the tests, thus proving the repeated recyclable prowess of this plastic. to be created, broken down, and created once more — again and again. The research suggests that this process can possibly be repeated with the plastic indefinite times.

If or when in use, this new type of plastic can substantially reduce the amount of plastics being developed around the world. Since the same produce can be recycled multiple times without a loss of quality, the plastic will eventually help humans tackle the?rising plastic pollution?through recycling.