Researchers find recycling application for Teflon byproduct

Researchers in Graz, Austria, have reportedly used 3D printing technology to develop a flow reactor that is able to transform a hazardous Teflon manufacturing byproduct into a “synthetic building block” that can be used by the polymers industry.

According to an online post by Netherlands-based www.3Ders.org, the University of Graz and CC FLOW researchers have published an article about the process in a chemistry and engineering journal.

The flow reactor can transform fluoroform, which 3Ders.org describes as “a waste product created by the manufacturing of fluoropolymers such as Teflon,” into a synthetic building block, or a substance that can be used in the making of polymers or other organic compounds.

The Dutch website indicates the flow reactor was 3D printed from stainless steel using laser melting technology.

Teflon (a type of polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE) is known for its use in non-stick pans and cookware. A 2016 analysis and report available from ReportLinker indicated 165,000 metric tons of PTFE was produced in 2015, and output could grow to 245,000 metric tons by 2022.