The Northern Netherlands has been at the forefront of polymer chemistry for over 50 years since the very first Dutch research group in this field was established at the University of Groningen. Since then, great strides have been made in terms of material properties and production efficiency.
In recent years, the focus has mainly been on greening, for example with the development of biobased polymers such as PLA and PHA. They have the future. On the other hand, innovative plastic recycling is primarily a technology of today. The technology for converting old plastics into new products through mechanical recycling is already well developed, while chemical recycling is developing rapidly. The next step is to add biobased components to this process. Ultimately, plastics will be completely biobased or circular. If it can be done somewhere, it’s in the Northern Netherlands.
Read the full article in Agro & Chemistry.
