Enhanced Plastic Recycling Experiments to Further Improve Undergraduate Materials Education

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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.