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How to Deconstruct Plastic

Deconstructing plastic materials can reveal much about the product. The process is called "deformulation" and is typically done in well-equipped laboratories. Several expensive pieces of lab equipment are required to do a full analysis of plastic. This analysis can potentially show various additives used to increase characteristics, such as heat-resistance or pliability of the plastic. These attributes are used to verify company claims regarding the quality of the product, as well as reveal the chemical makeup of the plastic to competitors.

Things You'll Need

Plastic grinder
Various plastic solvents
Glass beaker/jar
Thermogravimetric analysis machine
Differential scanning calorimeter
Fourier transform infrared spectrometer
Electron microscope
Energy dispersive X-ray analysis machine
Liquid chromatography machines

Instructions

- 1
  Break down the plastic in the plastic grinder to create small, plastic granules that can be dissolved in a solvent.
- 2
  Place some of the granules into a glass jar or beaker filled with a small amount of solvent. Common plastic solvents include acetone or butanone.
- 3
  Analyze the dissolved plastic using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeter, electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis machine, energy dispersive X-ray analysis machine, liquid chromatography machines or any other specialized equipment which can identify the elements present in dissolved solids. The results of analysis from each piece of equipment will tell you the various component that went into the creation of the plastic.

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