InsideJapan News Network
Friday,
5th
December
2008
In Business In Japan,
In Business In Japan,
Researchers develop plastic recycling technology
Academics at Japan's Shizuoka University have come up with a way to recycle a carbon fibre plastic used in sporting goods, it has been reported.
Izumi Okajima, an assistant professor at the university, developed the technology along with Professor Takeshi Sako.
He estimates that enough demand for 90,000 tonnes of carbon fibre reinforced plastic around (CFRP) the world.
"I would like the application of this technology to be aimed at the reported demand for 38 million golf club shafts worldwide," he said.
Currently, CFRP is used in sporting products such as tennis rackets and golf clubs, however the material is insoluble and hardens when heated, making recycling difficult, reports the Mainichi Daily News.
The research team discovered that the use of supercritical methanol helps break down the plastics, allowing them to be completely recycled.
In related news, flat-screen TVs and drying machines have been added to a list of household items that must be recycled in Japan when they have come to the end of their lives.
Izumi Okajima, an assistant professor at the university, developed the technology along with Professor Takeshi Sako.
He estimates that enough demand for 90,000 tonnes of carbon fibre reinforced plastic around (CFRP) the world.
"I would like the application of this technology to be aimed at the reported demand for 38 million golf club shafts worldwide," he said.
Currently, CFRP is used in sporting products such as tennis rackets and golf clubs, however the material is insoluble and hardens when heated, making recycling difficult, reports the Mainichi Daily News.
The research team discovered that the use of supercritical methanol helps break down the plastics, allowing them to be completely recycled.
In related news, flat-screen TVs and drying machines have been added to a list of household items that must be recycled in Japan when they have come to the end of their lives.
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