Griffin Research applied for CSIRO Kick-start to investigate the science and application of supercritical fluids, to decontaminate, recycle and upcycle waste soft plastic and sequester carbon in built structures.
The Victoria EPA charged RedCycle for stockpiling 3,000 T soft plastics. More than 11,000 T was found in further 44 sites. Australia discards >350,000 T pa of low density polyethylene (LDPE) into landfill. This is a significant waste and an environmental issue that needs an immediate solution in Victoria, Australia and overseas. In a global move to progress from linear to circular economies, current focus is on reuse, recycling and upcycling, while still meeting Net Zero Emissions and environment, social and governance (ESG) framework compliance. Many current technologies in the chemical industries will struggle to meet these new stringent guidelines and therefore new green solutions are required.
Preliminary studies have shown that supercritical fluids (SCF) can be used as green solvent to dissolve waste soft plastic. Current thermal methods to process LDPE results in a recycled product, that is four times the cost of raw materials. Using SCF it may be possible to recover polyolefins as recycled materials at a lower cost and upcycle it into other products (i.e. insulation material) of greater value.
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