The Benefits of Cryogenic Recycling

It’s hard to watch the news, glance through the internet, or read the newspaper these days without coming across some mention of the state of the environment.  Unfortunately, one of the top problems at the moment is actually in the landfill.  Our landfills are overflowing to the point where random garbage islands are forming in the middle of the ocean.  And the problem isn’t exactly improving.  With every plastic bottle that is tossed and every flat tire that gets changed, our earth is becoming a little more saturated with garbage.  But not all forms of garbage are quite as problematic as the others.  The major problem involves those materials that take an exponentially long time to break down—materials like plastic and rubber.  Fortunately, technological innovation may be able to help.

Cue a technological breakthrough…

Here at Millennium Cryogenic Technologies, we believe that our cryogenic technologies can make industry better in a number of ways.  Not only can our technologies help to improve the strength and longevity of equipment that is necessary for working in areas like the oil fields, but we can also use our cryogenic technologies to break down and recycle materials that were previously too tedious to manage.

Then came cryogenic recycling

Millennium Cryogenic Technology’s recycling process provides a vehicle through which materials that were previously next to impossible to break down and reuse can now be broken down, recycled and reclaimed while enhancing the mechanical properties of their metal components.  For example, power sections for oilfield downhole drilling motors and progressing cavity pumps, even taking coatings off parts and pieces.  This is particularly important for industries where the metal is reused and the polymer is recycled.

But how does it work?

Cryogenic recycling can work on plastic and rubber products—products which ordinarily take years to break down on their own, and which can become expensive both to replace and to dispose of.  During the process, the plastic or rubber materials, such as used tires, are exposed to temperatures nearing minus 80°C using liquid nitrogen or another form of commercial refrigerant.  Once exposed to that level of extreme cold, the now-frozen rubber becomes extremely brittle, and can easily be crushed and broken.  The process creates what are known as “rubber crumbs,” which can then be re-used to make new tires or other rubber applications, including certain landscaping products.  While there are other processes out there that are also capable of breaking rubber down, cryogenic recycling takes less energy to complete and actually produces finer and more easily reusable rubber granules or crumbs.

Here at Millennium Cryogenic Technologies Ltd., we are dedicated to finding new and important outlets for our technological innovations.  We combine experience and innovation with the dedication to meet the highest possible standards—yours!  If you are looking to incorporate cryogenic technologies into your industry, contact us today.  We are dedicated to providing the highest quality of services using the most innovative forms of technology across a diverse range of industrial applications.  From creating material property enhancements in the oil and gas field, to helping to increase the performance of parts and tools in the manufacturing industry, to helping in the creation of parts that are better able to perform under conditions of high duress in the motorsports, the opportunities when it comes to cryogenic technologies are innumerable.