Argonne finds a way to recycle 'plastic No. 2' not just two or three times but infinitely

Argonne chemist Massimiliano Delferro
Argonne chemist Massimiliano Delferro, who leads the Catalysis Science Program in the laboratory's Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, worked alongside Cornell University to discover a new way to recycle HDPE, or No. 2 plastics.

Photo courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory

A story recently published in Chicago's Daily Herald highlights iCOUP research from Argonne National Laboratory.

From the article by Jenny Whidden:

Chemists at Argonne National Laboratory in DuPage County have worked out a new way to recycle certain plastics infinitely, a discovery that could change the way we recycle containers like those used for milk and laundry detergents.

In the current process for recycling these high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, plastics, much of the material's properties are lost, so recycling can be repeated only two or three times. Argonne's novel method, developed in March, converts used HDPE into material that can be recycled many more times over. Read More