GolDN: IIT Bombay Creates Equipment to Recycle Plastic Waste

IIT Bombay researchers have created a device called GolDN that uses melt-mixing to mechanically recycle waste plastic polymers. With the help of this local single screw extruder, thermoplastic waste may be turned into composites that are then molded into products like bricks, tiles, and paver blocks.

Equipment Available for Commercial Use Has Its Limitations

Melt-mixing equipment that is available for purchase is not appropriate for recycling waste polymers that contain impurities. Their screw and barrel systems are not very strong. GolDN uses a customized design to get around these restrictions.

Essential Elements of the Extruder

GolDN enables effective continuous melt-mixing in a lab setting, simulating real-world recycling, of waste thermoplastics and inorganic fillers.

For optimal mixing performance, parameters such as clearance depth and compression ratio have been tuned. Contamination-containing waste polymer can be handled thanks to robust manufacturing.

Extra Configuration

Additionally, the researchers have created auxiliary tools, like as a thermogravimetric analyzer, for use in analyzing the composites that GolDN produces. Material variability is incorporated within its huge 200g sample size.

Pilot Plant Infrastructure

A pilot-scale recycling facility including a GolDN extruder as its key component has been constructed. Shredded, pre-heated, and conveying are examples of additional capabilities that enable full waste plastic to product conversion.

Potential Impact and Commercialization

This technology has been developed with support from DST and is ready for commercial usage. Low costs are ensured by indigenous manufacture, making lab-scale polymer waste recycling research economical.

The device can help the plastics sector and urban local bodies recycle collected plastic garbage more efficiently if it is scaled up. This deals with plastic resource circularity as well as environmental pollution.

Importance of This Technology

Every year, around 68.6 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ecosystem and worsen the state of the environment.

Over 50% of the world's plastic garbage is mismanaged, and nations like China, India, and Indonesia suffer from severe pollution.

According to an Earth Action analysis, about 98.6% of the plastic garbage generated in India is mismanaged.

Under current high production scenarios, global plastic pollution might quadruple by 2040 despite increased recycling capacity.