Economical and environmentally-friendly process supports a circular economy

Zeus Industrial Products, Inc., headquartered in Orangeburg, SC, USA, announces a new biopolymer recycling technology to support a circular economy. An alternative to traditional “make-use-dispose” economies, a circular economy extracts the maximum value from resources by keeping them in use for as long as possible. At the end of each service life, materials are recovered and regenerated.

Zeus developed an innovative process to recycle the highly popular biopolymer polylactide, also known as polylactic acid or PLA. Among the first commercially produced bioplastics, PLA has become widely used in areas ranging from food packaging, drug delivery, agriculture, and tissue engineering, with potential uses growing.

Manufacturers licensing Zeus’ PLA chemical recycling technology will realize several advantages. Compared to current recycling options, Zeus’ new process requires a significantly lower investment. This economic benefit is especially important in global competition with finite resources. In addition, Zeus’ proprietary technology allows customers to focus on forward-looking products that support sustainable programs and economic viability. This recycling process is also highly amenable to industrial or medical grade PLA.

“Over the past 10 years, Zeus has expanded its interest into bioabsorbable polymer technologies,” said Bruce Anneaux, Corporate Director, Research and Development. “We have introduced a process that makes this market even more attractive. Using novel technology to recover PLA from a mixed waste stream, Zeus’ new process provides an economically advantageous and environmentally friendly solution.”

Additional technical information includes the following:

• The new process uses a low temperature mild reaction scheme with very high recovery of PLA monomer and oligomer units. A simple ternary alcohol solution chemically recycles PLA.
• The unusually mild conditions of Zeus’ new process eliminate the historic limitations of chemically recycling PLA plastic. The method requires no reactant pressure vessels.

To learn more about Zeus’ PLA recycling process and licensing program, call toll-free 1-800-526-3842 or +1-803-268-9500 outside the U.S.

About Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.

Zeus Industrial Products, Inc., is headquartered in Orangeburg, SC, USA. Since 1966, its core business is the development and precision extrusion of advanced polymeric materials. The company employs 1,250 people worldwide with manufacturing facilities in Aiken, Gaston and Orangeburg, South Carolina; Branchburg, New Jersey; and Letterkenny, Ireland. Zeus products and services serve companies in the medical, automotive, aerospace, fiber optics, energy and fluid management markets.

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