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Turning plastic waste into lubricants
Turning plastic waste into lubricants – A team of researchers from several American companies and institutions seeks to transform plastic waste into lubricants, including hydraulic fluids and greases. The research is part of a government funding program for sustainable innovations.
The project’s objective is to reduce the impact of plastic waste, turning it into lubricants.
Upcycling is the process of transforming by-products, such as waste, into higher-value products.
The team has already advanced in its research: in May, it published an article saying that lubricants made from plastic waste had a performance comparable to synthetic base oils, such as polyalphaolefins, in terms of wear, and even performed better in this category of than Lubricants with Group III Basics.
“This new technology offers a cost-effective opportunity to reduce the harmful environmental impact of plastic waste on our planet and save energy by reducing friction and wear-related degradations in transport applications similar to synthetic oils,” said the article.
The team includes personnel from Argonne National Laboratory, Chevron Philips Chemical Co., Chemstations Inc., American Packaging Corp., Ames City Resource Recovery Center, Hy-Vee, Iowa State University, and Texas A&M University.
The team’s next goal is to research the cost and technology needed to recycle plastic waste and find out more about how these products can work, according to the Texas A&M Today newsletter.
The research is being funded by the US Department of Energy’s Plastics Innovation Challenge, part of a government agency initiative to reduce plastic waste.
It is one of 12 programs that receive money. In 2010, the United States occupied 20th place in the world ranking of plastic pollution, with 2.8 million tons of plastic waste generated per year. Plastic waste can harm wildlife both on land and in the ocean, while contaminating water sources.
