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Prof. Veena Sahajwalla of the
University of New South Wales in Australia has
won a prestigious Australian science award for
one of the new innovating research process. If
it succeeds on large scale and commercially, the
environmental problems faced by plastics waste
will disappear. In fact, plastics waste would
provide a value addition.
Under the process, waste plastics are fed into
electric steel-making furnaces as an alternative
source of carbon and heated to super-hot temperatures
of 1,600 degrees Celsius. It is quite well-known
that plastics have higher carbon content. Carbon
is used to add strength to steel. The higher the
carbon content, the stronger but less ductile
it is.
Typically 40% of raw material for steel is derived
form scrap. To achieve ductility and strength
by Carbon generally coal and coke are used. Plastic
waste can partially replace coal and coke At high
temperatures plastics release carbon and thus
contribute to the strength of steel.
This new process technology will release plastic
waste from land filling.
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