 |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Please
select a site using the World Map Above or the Buttons Below |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
|
 |
|||||
Mining for plastics By
Zachary Coila IN MIKE NICHOLS' 1967 movie classic, "The Graduate," a family friend of Benjamin Braddock tells the 20-year old grad played by Dustin Hoffman, that his future lies in a single word: "Plastics." Unlike young Benjamin, Michael Biddle, president of MBA Polymers, Inc. took that advice to heart. After graduating with an MBA from Stanford and a Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Biddle went to work designing plastics for companies like General Electric and Dow Chemical. Twenty years later, Biddle is trying to put a new spin on the future of plastics. His goal, quite simply, is to turn today's plastics into tomorrow's plastics. "This is the culmination of four years of broad based research," Biddle said at a press conference unveiling the plant. "We feel we are at the leading edge." Plastics recycling is not new, as anyone who has ever tossed a 2-liter cola bottle or a milk jug into a curb side bin knows. What is new is the broad-scale attempt to recycle more complicated durable goods, which are made of plastics but also metals, fabric, glass and other materials. While businesses have long seen the value of recycling metal, few have considered recycling plastic parts. Al Maten, director of durables for the Plastics Council, said the problem is that plastics have been in widespread use by industry only for 50 years. "Plastics are still the new kids on the block," Maten said. "We have to develop the infrastructure. That's why we're here today." European companies have tried harder to recycle materials from products they sell, including plastics, mostly due to government pressure. Much of the recovery has been low-tech, with scavengers collecting the most valuable materials, Biddle said. Most of the clients lined up for trial runs are companies in the Bay Area's high-tech industries. Biddle declined to name them, saying that the majority of companies don't want publicity - yet. "Most companies want to keep quiet for marketing reasons," Biddle said. "They see it as a business secret." said Red Cavaney, president and CEO of the American Plastics Council . "The goal is make a stream that's as pure and homogeneous as possible," he said .
MBA
Polymers, Inc. Back to
the BUY FROM US Page |
