Solving the world's plastic problem or wishful thinking?
Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 06/26/2021 - 12:36pm
The story behind our infinitely recyclable plastic
By Aliyah Kovner, Berkeley Lab
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Step one, create infinitely recyclable plastic to replace ordinary plastic DONE
Step two, make it just as cheap ARGUABLE
Step three, get it widely adopted ? ? ?
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/story-behind-our-infinitely-...
1)
A multidisciplinary Berkeley Lab team has been working for several years to develop a game-changing plastic that, unlike traditional plastics, can be recycled indefinitely and is not made from petroleum.
YAY
2)
Their latest milestone was the release of an analysis showing the feasibility and potential outcomes of launching the unique material, called poly(diketoenamine) or PDK, into the market at an industrial scale.The team found that making products out of recycled PDK could quickly become as cheap as making the same item with new plastic polymers
Uhhhhh, Hmmmm, zo, uhm, can one market that?
3) Well, read the rest ...
be well and have a good one
Comments
Two issues are at the forefront.
1. It has to be cheaper than what is currently produced.
2. And this is the biggie. With the less than 35% current recycling rate of this country, you have to incentivize people to recycle. People would hate it but a mandatory deposit on truly recyclable plastics would be a boon.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Therre's another hidden issue.
current plastics are made of petroleum. The super majors and other producers will cut the costs of petro used to mfr plastics as far as necessary to keep the petro flowing, they in some cases get paid simply to take it out of the ground.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
That's why
it must be cheaper than currently produced.
It's now made of the nastiest, cheapest petroleum available. They've already developed and are using a ethanol byproduct for plastics.
One day, in the foreseeable future, a food packaging product will replace an edible commodity.
You still won't be able to eat it though.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.