Patented technology to recycle wasted milk pouches from India
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed and patented a technology that converts discarded milk pouches into high-performance engineering plastic that can be recycled multiple times without losing its strength.
Researchers from India have developed a patented recycling technology for wasted milk pouches.
The new technology addresses the challenge of post-consumer milk pouches made of polyethylene (PE), which, despite being recyclable, often end up discarded due to their difficulty to collect and limited recycling value.
The research team developed a process that blends discarded milk pouches with a specially engineered polypropylene vitrim made from post-consumer recycled polypropylene, commonly found in personal care packaging.
The vitrimer acts as both a reinforcing material and a compatibilizer, enabling two otherwise incompatible waste plastics to be converted into a durable engineering material.
The researchers found that the optimized blend nearly doubled the tensile strength of conventionally recycled polyethylene while retaining its mechanical properties even after three consecutive recycling cycles.
According to the team, the material's ability to maintain its performance through repeated recycling marks a significant step towards developing plastics that can be reused without the gradual loss of quality seen in conventional recycling.
The recycled material can be used to manufacture products such as road dividers, bus shelters and logistics containers.
