Article: Sumitomo Bakelite develops way to recover, reuse phenolic resin.(Environment and recycling)

Sumitomo Bakelite Co Ltd, Japan, has developed a method to reclaim and reuse the phenolic resin found in products such as electronic components and autoparts.

Phenolic resin, also known as Bakelite, is synthesized by using a cross-linking agent to bind the stringy phenol molecules into a mesh-like structure. As the resultant material is extremely stable, it is difficult to decompose, and until now, there has been no practical way to recover and reuse the phenol molecules.

In the novel procedure, the resin is pulverized into a micropowder, then placed in a reaction vessel with water, phenol and a catalyst, then heated to 260[degrees]C while subjected to a ...

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