Polyurethane foams are given a fresh look with 3-D printer inks that are high-performance
Polyurethane foams, which can be difficult to reuse, have been transformed into high-value 3D printers. This cost-effective upcycling opens the way for reuse of other difficult to recycle thermoset polymers. The chemical recycling of thermoset plastics - polymers cross-linked which are permanently cured is not economically viable and the vast majority of them end up in the landfill. This has spurred research into the new field for chemical upcycling. Scientists from Zhejiang University in China used the fragmentation and reconstruction method to recycle polyurethane foams that are found in all sorts of things from car seats to furniture mattresses and...