Commercial plastic recycling technology will soon be making a contribution to missions on board the International Space Station (ISS), the fruit of a new partnership between Brazilian sustainable chemicals firm Braskem and Made In Space, a US based developer of 3d printers for operation in zero gravity.
Astronauts on board the ISS will – by late 2018 – be able to start using a recycler of plastic objects and packaging, a technology the firms say will improve the autonomy and sustainability of future missions. It will reduce the weight of payloads carried into space and cut the costs of missions.
The two firms have previously collaborated on the “Printing the Future” project, which last year adopted Green Plastic, a bio-based resin made from sugarcane, for the printing of tools and spare parts by astronauts.
“There is significant potential for plastic recycling on the ISS. For example, food packaging can be used to make objects for use by astronauts instead of being discarded. In the future, the recycler and the 3D printer will form a single package that will increase the autonomy and sustainability of long-duration space missions,” said Andrew Rush, Made In Space President & CEO.
The machine consists of a plastic crushing and extrusion system that produces a filament that can be used by the 3D printer already installed on the ISS. The recycler will allow astronauts to, among other applications, use the Green Polyethylene tools and parts previously fabricated by the 3D printer, as well as other plastic materials already on the ISS that no longer are being used, such as food packaging.
“Taking the first plastic recycler into space is a massive challenge and a source of great pride for Braskem. This second phase of our partnership with Made In Space will close the plastic cycle sustainably, from the production of Green Polyethylene made from sugarcane to the recycling of polymers for other applications,” said Patrick Teyssonneyre, Director of Innovation & Technology at Braskem.
