Braskem launches new chemical recycling study

Braskem has launched a new study to develop a chemical recycling process for post-consumer plastics, such as grocery bags and packaging films for snacks and cookies. The research is being conducted in partnership with the polymer engineering laboratory at the University of Rio de Janeiro’s Alberto Luiz Coimbra research institute. Other project partners include the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Biosynthetics and Cetrel, an environmental service company, Braskem announced Feb. 14. The program will seek to further research into technologies that can transform plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically into new chemical products. The Braskem release provided no further details about the duration or funding of the project.