DGIST Develops Technology to Solve Plastic Recycling Problems with Sugar and Supramolecular Technology

2025-02-28

Professor Chi-Young Park’s team of the Department of Energy Engineering at DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) has developed a catalyst technology that effectively removes additives that make plastic recycling difficult by using components obtained from sugar. The research team extracted cyclodextrin from sugar and developed a catalyst that effectively decomposes flame retardants that hinder plastic recycling. This catalyst is composed of three components: molybdenum disulfide, fullerene, and cyclodextrin.

In general, engineering plastics are difficult to recycle because they contain halogen-based flame retardants. The catalyst developed effectively removes these halogen-based flame retardants, increasing the possibility of recycling engineering plastics.

It is expected that this technology will serve as an important breakthrough in solving the recycling problem of plastic products produced before environmental regulations through this technology in the future.

Source: https://www.idaegu.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=628314