The Ural Federal University (UrFU), in collaboration with the Ural State Forest Engineering University (USFEU), has started recycling plastic using radiation, according to the UrFU press service.
Specialists irradiated samples of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This material is widely used for the production of packaging — bottles and containers.
It was found that radiation treatment makes plastic easy to recycle — it begins to melt at lower temperatures. This approach will simplify recycling and expand the possibilities of using PET in various fields.
The use of radiation technologies expands the possibilities for recycling polymer waste and reusing it, including for the creation of new materials. Comprehensive studies of changes in the properties of polymer materials after exposure to radiation will allow the development of new effective methods of radiation technologies for polymer processing.
It is also expected that irradiation can increase the operating temperature of the material. This will allow the modified PET to maintain its mechanical characteristics at higher temperatures.
In addition, radiation treatment of medical waste can ensure biological safety and prepare it for further processing. This method of waste disposal completely inactivates microorganisms.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that the largest plastic recycling enterprise opened in the Moscow region.
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