Chemical Knowledge 18:Application areas of the recycled plastics industry
Update time: 26-05-16 Views: 22
Application areas of the recycled plastics industry
1. Household appliance industry: Recycled plastics are primarily used in internal components of refrigerators, casings of washing machines, TV sets, and electric fans, among other household appliance parts. The materials mainly consist of recycled PP, HIPS, and ABS, enhancing the environmental friendliness of the products. For instance, Midea has introduced a detergent box for washing machines made of PCR-PP with a 50% recycled material ratio, resulting in a 35.58% year-on-year reduction in carbon footprint.
2. Automotive industry: Recycled plastics are primarily utilized in automotive components such as carpets, pillar trims, door trims, seats, tires, engine covers, bumpers, and instrument panels, further enhancing the lightweight, energy-saving, and emission-reducing effects of automobiles. For instance, 89% of the textiles and carpets used in the seats of the new Audi A3 are made from recycled PET plastic bottles, while some of NIO's vehicle models feature pillar trims made from recycled PC derived from post-consumer plastic buckets, CDs, and other waste, with recycled materials accounting for 65%.
3. Packaging industry: Recycled plastics are widely used in packaging design, such as beverage bottles, food containers, daily chemical packaging, and logistics packaging. For example, Nongfu Spring has launched packaging bottles containing 30%-50% recycled PET, with the "rPET" logo printed on the bottle body, and has piloted the use of washable labels containing 30% PCR polypropylene.
4. Consumer electronics industry: Recycled plastics are widely used in consumer electronics products, such as smartphone casings, laptop casings, chargers, etc., which are both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly. For example, the battery casing of Dell's high-end business notebook Latitude 9440 contains 90% PCR plastic, the speaker casing contains 30% PCR plastic, the AC adapter casing contains 90% PCR plastic, the keycaps are made of 75% recycled polycarbonate plastic, the film is made of 80% recycled PET, and the backlight cover is made of 100% recycled PET.
5. Home furnishing industry: Recycled plastics are primarily utilized in the home furnishing industry for household items, storage boxes, decorative ornaments, lighting fixtures, etc., offering both durability and environmental friendliness. For instance, the main material of IKEA's VISSLAÅN storage series products is PET plastic, with at least 50% to 70% content of recycled PET (derived from recycled PET bottles).
6. Clothing industry: Recycled plastics are widely used in T-shirts, sportswear, as well as footwear and bags. By blending with natural fibers and other fibers, they can achieve good breathability and moisture wicking. For example, Nike's recycled polyester clothing comes from plastic bottles. After being cleaned and processed, plastic bottles can be made into yarn, reducing carbon emissions by about 30%.
7. Agriculture: Recycled plastics are primarily utilized in agricultural mulching films, drip irrigation tapes, seedling pots, etc. Their application in agriculture has emerged as a pivotal direction for advancing sustainable agricultural development. For instance, Gansu Supply and Marketing Recycling Resources Group converts recycled plastic waste, such as discarded drip irrigation tapes and waste greenhouse films, into granules through sorting and cleaning processes. These granules are then transformed into raw materials for the production of agricultural drip irrigation tapes, effectively turning waste into a valuable resource.
8. Building materials industry: Recycled plastics are primarily utilized in the building materials industry for extruded products such as pipes, wire and cable sheaths, boards, sheets, doors and windows, and insulation materials. For instance, the environmentally friendly recycled polyethylene materials for cables produced by Tuopu New Materials, a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation, are widely applied in various fields like optical communication, wire and cable, with the proportion of recycled plastics used in the finished products reaching approximately 80%.
