Electron beam irradiation decomposes Teflon-like fluoroplastics efficiently

Plastics like Téflon are famous lasting and sadly difficult to recycle. But a breakthrough of researchers from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) can offer a new powerful solution.

The team, led by the principal principal researcher, Dr. Akira Idesaki, has developed a technique using the irradiation of the electrons (EB) to decompose polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) into gaseous products, effectively transforming a solid fluoropolymer and heat resistant into useful chemical components. Their results are published in the journal Physics and radiation chemistry.

“By applying heat during irradiation, we were able to reduce the energy necessary to decompose the PTFE by 50% compared to traditional methods,” said Dr. Idesaki. “This makes large -scale recycling of fluoropolymers much more viable.”

PTFE – The best known as Téflon trade – is widely used in electronics, medical devices and non -stick kitchen utensils. Its resistance to heat and chemicals comes from its strong carbon-flower links, which also make it a member of the family of persistent substances respectful of the known environment under the name of PFAS, which are informally called “chemicals forever”.

Traditional methods of decomposition of the PTFE, such as pyrolysis, require extremely high temperatures (600 to 1,000 ° C) and a massive energy input. The QST team has shown that the PTFE heating at 370 ° C and the radiating it with an EB in the air allowed them to convert 100% of the plastic into gas.

Solid gas: breakdown chemistry

The key to the method is to combine heat with radiation. When the PTFE powder has been irradiated with a dose of 5 mgy at 30 ° C, only 10% decompose. But at 270 ° C, this number increased to 86%. At 370 ° C, a complete decomposition was obtained.

The main gases released during the process were oxidized fluorocarbons – chemical compounds which contain both fluorine and oxygen, and perfluoroalcanes – containing fluorine and carbon. The research team has identified them using gaseous phase chromatography and mass spectrometry. These gases could be collected and reused as raw materials in the chemical industries, helping to support a more sustainable circular use of resources.

Structural and crystallinity transformation

The researchers also found that heating the PTFE during EB irradiation produced changes in its internal structure. The small crystal units inside the material became larger, which suggests that the material has undergone a reorganization. Infrared and X -ray analysis has shown that most oxidized chemicals have been eliminated, which means that the PTFE has been effectively decomposed in gas.

“High temperature irradiation not only improves decomposition but also modifies the internal structure of PTFE,” noted the first author, Dr. Hao Yu, researcher at QST. “This helps to explain why the process becomes more energy efficient as the temperature increases.”

To an industrial application

Based on their data, researchers believe that this new approach could reduce the energy cost of PTFE recycling from around 2.8 to 4 MWh per tonne – typical for pyrolysis (high temperature) – at 50% using EB irradiation. This level of efficiency could make it commercially attractive for industries that generate PTFE waste.

“We hope that this technology will contribute to safer, cleaner and more profitable recycling of high performance plastics,” said the co-author, Dr. Yasunari Maekawa, who directed the research project.