Researchers investigate untapped method to solve global crisis: 'We need alternatives'
Published August 26, 2025
About 9% of plastic waste is successfully recycled worldwide, but what about the rest? It clogs landfills, pollutes oceans, and even winds up in our bodies. But according to the University at Buffalo, a team of researchers may have found a new path forward.
The Cooldown quoted Aurora del Carmen Munguía-López, assistant professor in the UB Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, in an article about solvents that can assist recycling facilities to breakdown plastic materials. “We need alternatives to the current unsustainable management of plastics," said Munguía-López. "More research and technology development are necessary to attain sustainability in plastics management."
In a study in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, the scientists made the case for combining artificial intelligence with lesser-known recycling methods such as solvent-based recycling. This pairing could help solve the global trash crisis.
