Sunday, December 30, 2018

A made-in-Singapore solution to the world's plastic waste problem

NUS scientists have found a way to turn plastic bottles and other wastes into 'one of the most promising materials in the 21st century'.
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/made-singapore-solution-world-plastic-waste-problem-aerogel-nus-11072016

 (Updated: ) 

Foong Mun Loh

waste of time and money......how many times they came up with some new inventions.......but the products were never brought to the market.....
LikeReply14h
Tayir Vadai
Prob not brought to the market cuz there was not enough money to be made. Esp in SG. Its always about commerce.
Reply4h
用李
Well as usual not positive come out from this fake account.
Invention/researching is always cost time & money. Profit is businesses see where it can be apply & convert any of that to $$$.

These two r very different in principal.
Reply3h
Hai Duong
As planned, our company will launch the aerogel products within 3 years :)
Reply2h
Ricky Lim
Hai Duong - Wish you and all your fellow research mates all the best and success  in turning it into a big business.
LikeReply1m


Waileng Petersen
Hai Duong we wish you and your team a lot of success and keep going. The world needs spirit like yours.
LikeReply8h
Petjay Catarbas
Good job to these FT. Hope they can impart their skills and knowledge to local Singaporeans.
LikeReply49h
用李
Is already a Singapore product.
LikeReply37h
Peter Peter
The problem is recycling PET in the first place, not the lack of uses for PET once it has been recycled. Countries like Switzerland already do this very efficiently. So contrary to the title, this invention provides another use for recycled PET, does not solve the plastic waste problem. For the plastic waste problem to be solved, PET needs to be recycled first.
LikeReply67h
Hai Duong
Hi Peter. At the end use, we can recycle the PET aerogel into the fiber abd make another another batch. We do not throw back any wate back to the environment. In the worst case, PET fibers can be degradable up to 50X faster than the initial plastic bottlw waste. Good and common question we always have :)
LikeReply77h
Masa Soh Mengming
Hai Duong Oh! You are the professor who came up with the product? Congratulations! Where can I learn more and be updated?
LikeReply14h
Daniel Choo
@Hai Duong Congrats and send my congratulations to the team for their hard work. Can't wait to see what this will become
LikeReply12h
Tommie Vale
Now with this new recycling technology, soon every country will be selling their used plastics for profit and plastics have become a blessing to the earth.
This is the answer to plastics hater.
LikeReply16h
Breeke Lo
Agree with another comment that the title is somewhat making an inaccurate claim. To call it a solution, I was expecting a large scale reduction in PET waste, that can be easily and cheaply applied worldwide outside of sophisticated labs and specialists.

A good development no less. But I still think the simplest reuse of PET bottles is where third world countries use them as-is for building walls?
LikeReply55h
Gloria Rachel
No matter what, it's great to have this new use to the plastic waste that's mounting up... Best thing is, no waste is being thrown back to the environment... Well done... Good job...
LikeReply5h
Breeke Lo
Well, those jackets, oil sponges, wall inserts etc will eventually make their way back to the plastic waste landfills and oceans
Reply4h
Hai Duong
We do recycle most kinds of wastes back to the products except the metal waste for now :)
Reply3h
Breeke Lo
Hai Duong I understand that. But that's a business win, not an environmental win - the net effect to the amount of PET, whether in bottle form or aerogel form, is a flat zero?

Perhaps it'll be more apt to say you guys found a way to produce PET products without producing more PET waste?
Reply2h

Valen Chen Tany
Wonderful news for our environment and all earthly creatures big or small....wtg congrats and a big thank you to our NUS scientists.
LikeReply34h
用李
Cool.
Reply3h


Andrew Wang
Will such materials be useful for the linings of thin blankets ? Nice to buy one set if on sale.
LikeReply13h
Eddie Lim
This is also one of the purpose singapore was separated from malaysia...so that sg can be a rich modern city state that attract gd foreign scientists to immigrate here... sg provides them all the money and time that no other nation can afford... cheers!
LikeReply3h
Aaron Loy
So, question - once it's made into this form of aerogel, is it still recyclable 1. after the coatings are applies and 2. after they're used to absorb oils, etc?
LikeReply2h
Hai Duong
Yes :)
Reply1h
Dave
There r at least 5 aerogel vendors in the world today n many would produce them from plastic bottles n discarded plastics. Many more countries would jump on the bandwagon legally or illegally obtained technology n sell them first commercially b4 SG. So the game is who gets there first ?
LikeReply22h

KS Lim
The question now is whether there is any made in Singapore invention to clear all those multi-million tons of plastic in the ocean? I think there is only a small group is trying.
LikeReply1h

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