Dive summary:
- Brigham Young University students are working on patenting a process which cuts the decomposition time for plastics down to three years.
- The students created PlasTek, a chemical solvent that can be sprayed onto trash as it goes into landfills.
- The spray can annually cut trash volume by 13%-20%.
From the article:
The firm plans to use a trademarked product called PlasTek to treat plastic waste and has been entering various business-plan contests. They earned $100,000 in a regional contest of the Department of Energy’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition held in April at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Inviroment will join other regional winners June 11-12 in the national competition in Washington.
PlasTek, according to the company’s website, is a chemical solvent made from naturally occurring compounds.
“PlasTek is sprayed onto trash as it is deposited in landfills. PlasTek catalyzes a reaction that causes the breakdown of waste plastics in a matter of months, vs. hundreds of years for untreated plastics,” the site says. ...
