The Problem

Plastics are essential materials, providing unmatched benefits such as durability, light weight, and low cost, driving social progress and technological advancements. It can be argued that developed nations would not have made the advancements that they did without the aid of plastics. They are found everywhere; from packaging to airplanes and cars to makeup to insulation. However, plastic also creates growing waste and pollution problems that require innovative solutions.

From 2 million tons in 1950, global polymer resin and fiber production has increased to 390 million tons in 2021. Over 9 billion tons of plastics have been created since it started being mass produced after World War II. Unfortunately, less than 10% of these plastics are recycled in the U.S. as of 2015, with over 6 billion tons having ended up in landfills and polluting the environment.

Photo by Antoine Giret from Unsplash

Plastics can take hundreds of years to break down, and even then, they only break into smaller pieces that are micrometers, or even nanometers, in size. The sun and other natural processes also break exposed plastics down into these micro particles. Microplastics have been found in the remotest places on Earth; from the peak of Mount Everest to the sediment at the bottom of the Mariana Trench to the ice at the North Pole. Animals inadvertently ingest plastic and it has even been found in the water we drink and air we breathe.

Photo by Brian Yurasits from Unsplash

Plastic production processes release large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, as do many of the removal processes, such as incineration. The best solution, then, is to significantly decrease the production of new plastics and completely reuse existing plastics. There are many ideas for reusing plastics including repurposing, reusing items as they are, and recycling the plastic materials into new plastics.

Photo by Sylwia Bartyzel from Unsplash

Although plastic waste can serve as a valuable feedstock for the preparation of high-quality materials, most are downcycled or incinerated, with limited economic benefits. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) in particular make up 60-70% of plastic waste, but their simple blends have poor mechanical performance due to their immiscibility. Separating these polymers adds complexity and significant costs to recycling. Additionally, recycled plastics undergo thermo-mechanical degradation, making them challenging to reuse.

That is where RockyTechâ„¢’s technology comes in.