Recycling plastic has an important role in sustainable manufacturing. However, there are still barriers to using recycled plastic not only because of its material and processing properties but also because of its smell. A young researcher at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has now studied what causes recycled plastic to smell.
Each year several tons of plastic waste are produced in Germany, for example from packaging. Around 50 percent of this waste is burnt. Recycling and reusing this waste could protect the environment in the long term and conserve fossil resources. However, recycled plastic is still not used enough in manufacturing due to undesirable contaminants. The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV) is developing and enhancing recycling processes for mixed post-consumer plastic waste.
FAU doctoral candidate Miriam Strangl is studying the scents of plastic waste and recycled products to find the cause of unpleasant odours in a collaborative project with the departments of Sensory Analytics and Process Development for Polymer Recycling at the Fraunhofer Institute. Strangl characterises samples through an olfactometric and analytical approach by evaluating the quality and intensity of their scent. After this, she deciphers the odorous substances and identifies them.
To read the full story, visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523104345.htm