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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [TECHNOLOGY]

2 clusters · 4 sources · 6 days · First seen · Last updated

ETH Zurich acrylic glass recycling development

Overview

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new chemical method to recycle polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), commonly known as acrylic glass or Plexiglas. The process uses a thermally driven depolymerization technique with a commercially available N-hydroxyimide reagent to break down polymer chains into their original monomers.

This method achieves a monomer yield of up to 98 percent and operates at relatively low temperatures, between 180°C and 200°C. This approach reportedly reduces energy consumption by nearly half compared to previous methods and does not require pre-treatment or the use of solvents.

The resulting recyclate is pure enough to produce new polymers with the same quality as virgin materials, even when the source material contains dyes or impurities. Because the process is compatible with existing industrial infrastructure, it is considered a cost-effective and economically viable solution for large-scale adoption. ETH Zurich has applied for a patent and is seeking industrial partners to scale the technology.

Entities

ETH Zurich · Athina Anastasaki · Nature Chemistry · Plexiglas

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    ETH Zurich researchers develop high-efficiency Plexiglas recycling method

    ETH Zurich researchers have created a solvent-free recycling method for Plexiglas that recovers 98% of material at lower temperatures, making high-quality plastic recycling economically viable.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    ETH Zurich researchers develop efficient acrylic glass recycling method

    ETH Zurich scientists have created a highly efficient, low-energy method to recycle acrylic glass into pure monomers, achieving up to 98 percent yield without requiring specialized pre-treatment.

Sources

chemie.de · newsbomb.gr · plasticker.de · tromaktiko.gr