New upcycling system for commercial polyesters

While plastics or synthetic polymers have many useful properties, their mismanagement has resulted in widespread pollution that chokes up our ecosystems. As a solution to this, many synthetic polymers are sent for reprocessing and recycling; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common products frequently seen in the recycling loop in many countries. However, recycling has its own set of problems. During plastic recycling, partial fractions of the polymer chains are decomposed resulting in structurally weak, downgraded polymers. These sub-standard recycled plastics have much reduced properties and are only good for use as solid fuels. This leaves manufacturers with little choice other than to make new plastic products with fast-depleting petroleum feedstocks.