Enhanced Plastic Recycling Experiments to Further Improve Undergraduate Materials Education

由于塑料约占垃圾填埋场容量的20%，回收塑料将在减少固体废物流向已经拥挤的垃圾填埋场方面发挥重要作用。 必须教育学生回收塑料和用回收材料生产产品的方法，以保护环境。 本计画在原材料回收实验的基础上，增加干燥实验、射出成型实验、回收塑料熔融特性的研究。 通过几门课程，并在每个阶段进行综合概述，学生将参与一系列塑料回收实验。 这些实验包括收集和清洁消费后容器、研磨、挤出复合和造粒、干燥、注塑、控制熔体行为以及测试回收塑料的最终性能。 学生现在能够使用注塑机从回收塑料生产产品，以控制质量，并提高回收材料的加工效率。 通过这一系列的实验，使理工科和非理工科的学生都能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渊博的见解，以保护我们的环境和保护自然资源。 该项目可以作为全国本科生关于材料和产品周期及其对环境影响的材料教育的典范。

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.