Enhanced Plastic Recycling Experiments to Further Improve Undergraduate Materials Education

由于塑料约占垃圾填埋场总量的20%，回收塑料将在减少固体废物流入已经拥挤的垃圾填埋场方面发挥重要作用。为了保护环境，必须教育学生回收塑料和用回收材料生产产品的方法。本项目通过增加干燥实验、注射成型工艺和再生塑料熔体性能研究，加强了材料回收实验。通过几门课程，在每个阶段都有一个综合的概述，学生们将参与一系列的塑料回收实验。这些实验包括收集和清洗消费后容器，研磨，挤压复合和造粒，干燥，注塑，控制熔体行为，并测试回收塑料的最终性能。学生现在可以用注塑机将回收的塑料制成产品，控制质量，提高回收材料的加工效率。无论是理工专业的学生还是非理工科的学生，都可以通过这一系列的实验获得基本的认识和实践经验。他们接受了减少、再利用和回收塑料的知识教育，以保护我们的环境和保护自然资源。本项目可作为国内本科材料教育的典范，对材料和产品周期及其对环境的影响进行研究。

Since plastics account for approximately 20 percent of the landfill volume, recycling plastics will play a significant role in reducing solid waste flow to the already congested landfills in the nation. Students must be educated in the methods to recycle plastics and to produce products from recycled materials in order to protect the environment. This project enhances materials recycling experiments by adding a drying experiment, an injection molding process, and a study of melt property for recycled plastics. Over several courses, and with an integrative overview at each stage, students are being involved in a series of plastic recycling experiments. These experiments include collecting and cleaning postconsumer containers, grinding, extrusion compounding and pelletizing, drying, injection molding, controlling melt behavior, and testing the final properties for recycled plastics. Students are now able to produce products from recycled plastics with an injection molding machine, to control the quality, and to improve efficiency of the processing of the recycled materials. Students in the technology majors and non-science-majors can gain fundamental understanding and practical experience through this series of experiments. They are educated with knowledgeable insights of reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics to protect our environment and to conserve natural resources. This project could serve as a model of materials education in the nation for undergraduate students concerning the materials and product cycles and their impact on the environment.