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According to a recent study, the world generates around 2 billion tons of waste annually. Out of these 2 billion tons, 33% is not managed in an environmentally safe manner. Experts say recycling is the best way to reduce the impact of waste on the environment.
Several innovations in the past decade have enabled us to recycle waste that was not possible earlier. Here are some latest recycling technologies you should know.
Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling
The world is slowly embracing electric vehicles, which are a good step for the environment. Electric vehicles are powered by lithium-ion batteries that also have limited life. Today, the majority of our devices (rechargeable) are powered by Li-Ion batteries.
Environmentalists had voiced their concern regarding the dumping of Li-Ion batteries in refills. However, things have changed for the better, and recycling news portals have shed light on the latest recycling technology that makes Li-Ion batteries recycling possible.
The lithium-ion battery contains various metal components made of cobalt, nickel, and lithium, constituting 95% of the raw material used for batteries. The new recycling technology focuses on recovering these materials using zero emissions, zero wastewater technology, and preventing thousands of li-ion batteries from entering the landfills.
Laser-Based Technology for Recycling Metals
Today, a large number of items we use are either made of plastic or iron. Several recycling news portals focus on the laser-based technology that allows recycling metals while keeping the energy costs low and making recycling feasible.
The recycling process starts with sorting metals and then melting them. The recycled metal has virtually no loss of quality.
The laser-based technology makes the sorting process faster and accurate. The new recycling technology can identify more than 20 alloys in electrical components and sort them quickly, automatically without contact. The technology allows the recycling industry to process more scrap and achieve higher grade quality in metals.
Plastics Recycling Technology
Plastic is a big problem in the environment as it is not biodegradable. Until now, plastic recycling was not economically feasible due to many reasons. However, there have been several innovations in recycling technologies that have made plastic recycling feasible.
Depolymerization
Many people will be surprised by the fact that plastic originates from oil. You would think if plastic comes from petroleum, what would be the process to convert plastic into oil. The new recycling process used to recycle plastic is known as thermal cracking. It is generally part of the oil refining process.
The new recycling technology breaks down plastic into a material known as “Plazz.” It can be used to make other plastics or used in heavy oil products. One good news about the recycled product is that it is better than petroleum. The product is still under testing, and if the tests are successful, you will see oil infused with “Plaxx” used to power heavy tankers.
The plastics recycling technology can process tons of plastic every year, and you will not be required to dump plastic in landfills.
To sum up, these are some latest recycling technologies that will make our planet cleaner and reduce the need for dumping grounds.
