According to the New Zealand Herald, the Advanced Composites Research Center at the University of Auckland has successfully synthesized two inexpensive plastic wastes into a new advanced plastic. They synthesized a new polymeric plastic with waste polyethylene plastic and PET. At present, this new type of material is applying for a patent and it has entered the preparatory stage of commercialization.

Tests have shown that the performance of this new type of plastic is obviously better than that of two kinds of raw materials, the hardness is high, and the effect of isolating oxygen is improved by 2 to 3 times, which is very suitable for food packaging materials. Researchers also found that the addition of suitable additives has greatly enhanced the electromagnetic shielding of this new type of plastic, making it an ideal packaging material for electronic products. What's more, this new material can be recycled, and the performance will not be reduced after several cycles.

It is reported that the successful synthesis of this new type of plastic is mainly due to the fact that the two raw materials have different melting points that differ by at least 40 degrees. At present, this new type of plastic production machine has also been designed and manufactured by the center, with a daily production capacity of several hundred meters.

Reprinted from: China Chemical News