Molecular Recycling for Hard-to-Recycle Plastics

GreenMantra Technologies diverts thousands of tons of plastic from landfills, dumps, and the ocean. They leverage molecular recycling to produce sustainable additives from plastic waste.

The growing global climate crisis has made designing environmentally friendly products an imperative and urgent challenge. Addressing this dare involves not only rethinking materials and manufacturing processes. Companies must consider energy efficiency, durability, reuse, and recycling.

You can also read: Interest Grows in Chemical Recycling

The Potential of Molecular Recycling

Recycling has emerged as one of the solutions to reduce the amount of plastic waste ending up in landfills and dumps. Specifically, molecular recycling, also known as chemical recycling, involves breaking down plastic waste into its original chemical components. The resulting monomers and other chemicals can synthesize new high-quality polymers with properties like virgin plastics. Among the solutions offered by this technology, the Canadian company GreenMantra transforms hard-to-recycle plastics into specialty waxes and polymer additives that create value.

Sustainable Polymer Additives

Researchers from GreenMantra have developed Ceranovus Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) polymer additive products. These improve the performance of asphalt for paving and roofing applications and act as melt flow modifiers in plastic applications. They deliver operational efficiency, higher output with lower energy inputs, and useful lifespans of 20-50+ years.

Technical specifications for Ceranovus Pe and PP products. Courtesy of GreenMantra.

GreenMantra’s feedstock is the post-consumer and post-industrial recycled plastics. The finished additives range in color from light brown to gray to black, as the recycled plastics vary in color. Despite the color variation, all Ceranovus products meet standard specifications for viscosity, softening point, penetration hardness, and density.

Improving Peel and Stick (Self-Adhered) Membranes

Ceranovus PE and PP polymer additives enhance construction materials for roofing applications. These products offer multiple performance, cost-saving, and operational advantages. In fact, with Ceranovus A155, GreenMantra replaced 20% of SBS in a standard modified Peel & Stick formulation. This change increases hardness, stability, and adhesion to plywood.

Enhancing Output Performance

In addition to improving the performance of end products, Ceranovus also enhances operational efficiency during polymeric compound manufacturing. Among its success stories is the boosting output of 100% rHDPE dual-wall Corrugated Pipe with Ceranovus PN20. At a 3% loading level, the company increased the melt flow. Additionally, they reduced the extruder amperage by 25% and expanded production output by 30%.

Innovating for a Sustainable Future

Chemical recycling is particularly promising for low-quality plastics, complex blends, and multilayer materials that are difficult to recycle using conventional mechanical methods. Producing polymeric additives from plastic waste helps mitigate environmental damage and offers opportunities for innovation and differentiation in the market. GreenMantra minimizes the environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle, from raw material extraction to final disposal.