WPI Researchers Co-Author New Plastic Recycling Study

Researchers develop a new chemi-mechanical recycling process that could make single-use plastics a thing of the past.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 10:47pm

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Researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Department of Chemical Engineering and The University of Akron have published a study in Chemical Engineering Journal about a new technology that seeks to solve long-standing challenges in plastic recycling. The process, called "aqueous chemi-mechanical recycling," uses properties of water heated beyond its normal boiling point to convert polymers found in plastics into a state at which they can blend with each other at the microscale, reducing volatile organic compounds and restoring recycled material closer to the color of virgin plastic.

Why it matters

Currently, less than 20% of all plastics are recycled. Increasing that number will require solving several problems with existing recycling methods, including irreversible loss of properties during the recycling process, limited ability to blend plastic mixtures, discoloration, and carryover of toxic chemicals. This new chemi-mechanical recycling approach aims to address these challenges and make single-use plastics a thing of the past.

The details

The chemi-mechanical recycling process relies on properties of water heated beyond its normal boiling point to convert polymers found in plastics into a state at which they can blend with each other at the microscale. Tests of this approach show evidence of microscale mixing after the chemi-mechanical treatment. Additionally, the research study found chemi-mechanical treatment resulted in a 96% reduction of the volatile organic compounds that are partially responsible for "recycled plastic smell" compared with plastics processed using mechanical recycling. The researchers also found that carefully controlling the amount of time materials are exposed to the high temperatures in this treatment process minimized molecular weight loss of the polymers during processing, a major drawback of mechanical recycling, and used much less energy than chemical recycling.

  • The research study was published on January 30, 2026.

The players

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

A private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The University of Akron

A public research university in Akron, Ohio, known for its programs in polymer science and engineering.

Seauciel

A startup company that proposed the "aqueous chemi-mechanical recycling" process studied in the research.

Michael Timko

William B. Smith Professor of Chemical Engineering and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and one of the authors of the research report.

Madison Reed

PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and one of the authors of the research report.

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What they’re saying

“With continued progress, this new technology could ultimately make single-use plastics a thing of the past.”

— Michael Timko, William B. Smith Professor of Chemical Engineering and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

What’s next

The team's future work is expected to include scaling the technology while conducting further research to provide a robust physical understanding of the key phenomena.

The takeaway

This new chemi-mechanical recycling approach has the potential to significantly improve the recycling of plastics by addressing long-standing challenges with existing methods, such as irreversible loss of properties, limited ability to blend plastic mixtures, discoloration, and carryover of toxic chemicals. If successful, it could help reduce the environmental impact of single-use plastics.