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As 2022 comes to a close, SPE would like to wish its members, partners and other industry professionals a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year for the industry, we would like to provide the readers of the SPE PLastics INsight a look at some of the most accessed articles from the year. Our regular publication will resume Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.
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Meet the plastic-eating enzymes that can fully break down garbage in days
Fast Company
From May 4: Of the 10 billion metric tons of plastic that humans have produced so far, only a small fraction has been recycled. Most of it sits in landfills or in the environment, where it could take centuries to degrade. But new plastic-eating enzymes could help begin to clean it up — and make recycling greener.
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Bioplastics companies struggle to meet demand
Plastics Today
From Aug. 17: As bioplastic materials transition from being a "nice-to-have" to materials with a strong and viable business case, manufacturers are racing to keep up with demand.
Striving to hit their decarbonization targets by taking the initiative to transition to bioplastics, brand owners are generating a stronger pull than ever before.
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Worms hungry for plastic may transform recycling
The Hill
From June 15: As more countries and corporations launch campaigns to tackle plastic waste in the natural environment, researchers remain in lockstep aiming to address the problem on both a macro and micro scale.
Now, after conducting experiments with so-called “superworms,” a team of investigators at the University of Queensland in Australia discovered the common Zophobas morio have a unique appetite for plastic, and may even transform recycling.
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.SPE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Promoted By
Wacker Chemical Corporation
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Promoted By
Extreme Coatings
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Electric vehicles next growth engine for plastics
Plastics Today
From Aug. 24: A recent forecast by the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility predicts that battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will make up more than 55% of new vehicle production across China, Europe, and North America by 2030. This represents 47 million units globally — seven times more than in 2021.
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An overview of polymer upcycling
AZO Materials
From Feb. 9: Various strategies have been formulated to minimize the accumulation of rapidly increasing plastic wastes. One of the methods involves upscaling, which is based on a catalytic transformation of plastics.
Plastics are synthetic materials that are composed of polymeric chains.
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Breaking down plastic into its constituent parts
ETH Zurich via ScienceDaily
From March 30: The chemical industry has a long tradition of producing polymers. This involves turning small molecular building blocks into long chains of molecules that bond together. Polymers are the basis of all kinds of everyday plastics, such as PET and polyurethane.
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A unique catalyst paves the way for plastic upcycling
Phys.org
From June 1: A recently developed catalyst for breaking down plastics continues to advance plastic upcycling processes. In 2020, a team of researchers led by Ames Laboratory scientists developed the first processive inorganic catalyst to deconstruct polyolefin plastics into molecules that can be used to create more valuable products. Now, the team has developed and validated a strategy to speed up the transformation without sacrificing desirable products.
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Do more than just simulate your injection mold. SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding lets you see the entire production cycle virtually – development, mold construction, materials, and production - giving you total control. Our breakthrough software also includes unparalleled training and support.
Discover cost savings, reduce defects, and increase production with SIGMASOFT®.
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Upcycling plastic waste into graphite provides possible alternative to landfills
PennState
From May 18: Upcycling plastic waste into graphite, used in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, could positively contribute to the global economy, preserving resources, saving energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, according to Penn State researchers. Under a seed grant from the Materials Research Institute, the researchers will explore ways to take single-use plastic waste and turn it into high-quality graphite.
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Plastic made of vanillin
AAAS via EurekAlert!
From June 22: From inexpensive mass products to tailored high-tech materials, our modern world without plastics is unimaginable. The major downside to this is the use of fossil fuels and the growing quantities of waste. A new approach could be the production of high-grade plastics made from biomass that could be made to fall apart into recyclable components.
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Promoted by Polyfil
 Polyfil, a Kafrit Group company, together with Kafrit IL and N3Cure (an Israeli based Start Up) provides solutions for UV curing systems and CROSSITOL® masterbatches. Crosslinking enables the production of recyclable packaging with a single-polymer structure (Mono-material), saving costs and reducing the consumption of fossil-based polymers. As a result, it will have a smaller effect on the environment than most plastic solutions.
CROSSITOL® masterbatches can be used in a wide range of applications including cast and blown film extrusion. Its technology is coupled with N3Cure’s curing system to target specific layers for crosslinking, downgauging, and production costs.
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A plastic film that can kill viruses using room lights
Phys.org
From Sept. 14: Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have developed a plastic film that can kill viruses that land on its surface with room light. The self-sterilizing film is the first of its kind — it is low cost to produce, can be readily scaled and could be used for disposable aprons, tablecloths, and curtains in hospitals. It is coated with a thin layer of particles that absorb UV light and produce reactive oxygen species — ROS.
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