Polyethylene (PE) is a semicrystalline polymer that is one of the most extensively manufactured polymers in the world for consumer products and packaging. Shopping bags, milk bottles, storage ...

Polyethylene plastics -- single-use bags and general-purpose bottles -- are indestructable forever plastics. That also makes them hard to recycle. Chemists have found a way to break down the polymer - ...

Bio-PE is derived from biological sources like sugarcane instead of petroleum. The manufacturing process begins with extracting ethanol from sugarcane, which is then dehydrated to produce ethylene, ...

Today’s plastic grocery bag could be tomorrow’s high-tech track suit, thanks to fabric made from polyethylene—the same polymer that is used to make plastic wrap. Analyses suggest that the fabric could ...

Sandwich bags, milk jugs, and other plastic items made from polyethylene could find new life as upgraded materials. A reaction that converts the popular polymer’s C–H bonds to C–N bonds and works on ...