'Upcycling' plastic bottles could give them a more useful second life
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 11:30
in Earth & Climate
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a recycling process that transforms single-use beverage bottles, clothing, and carpet made from the common polyester material polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into more valuable products with a longer lifespan. Their research, published February 27 in the journal Joule, could help protect oceans from plastic waste by jumpstarting the recycled plastics market.