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Plastic Waste Smashing Technique Unlocks Safer Chemical Reactions
11 Nov
Summary
- Plastic bags broken down in ball mill create radicals that strip toxins
- Breakthrough could lead to safer, more efficient chemical processes
- Researchers aim to utilize waste plastic and reduce environmental impact
As of November 11th, 2025, scientists have made a significant breakthrough in utilizing plastic waste to improve chemical safety. Researchers at the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (ICReDD) at Hokkaido University have discovered that by throwing plastic bags into a ball mill, which rapidly mixes solids using a steel ball, the chemical bonds in the plastic break apart, creating radicals.
These radicals can then be used in chemical reactions to strip halogens out of toxic substances, making them safer for human, animal, and environmental health. The researchers say this "game-changing" approach holds the potential to foster the development of industrially attractive, safe, and highly efficient chemical processes.
With humans producing an estimated 267 million tons of plastic waste per year, finding alternative uses for this material is crucial to curbing pollution and keeping it out of the environment. In addition to this new dehalogenation method, scientists have also developed ways to convert plastic waste into valuable chemicals, asphalt, and energy.
"I believe that this approach will lead to not only the development of safe and highly efficient radical-based reactions, but also to a new way to utilize waste plastics, which are a serious social problem," said associate professor Koji Kubota of Hokkaido's ICReDD program.
