China is a major producer and consumer of plastics in the world. Plastic products make people's lives convenient, but also bring resource consumption, "white pollution" and other problems. How to make plastic recycling, has a significant practical significance. Through plastic modification, not only can the synthetic resin in petrochemical products achieve high quality and high value utilization, but also can make waste plastics "magic transformation" to reduce pollution and carbon. In the past 25 years, Professor Chen Qinghua's team of "Engineering Research Center for Green Recycling of Polymer Resources of the Ministry of Education" of Fujian Normal University has deeply cultivated the field of modified plastics, joined hands with more than 50 enterprises inside and outside the province to collaborate on innovation, and made efforts to explore the industrialization of plastic recycling economy.

Be the forerunner, crack change "plastic" into "treasure"

"To overcome the key core technology of plastic waste recycling, enhance the ability of industrial innovation, and do a good job of the 'green article' of living resource recycling, we are committed to it!"

What is modified plastic?

In the polymer Rheological Properties Laboratory of Fujian Normal University, Professor Chen Qinghua picked up a soft plastic film that had just been "cooked" and explained: "It is to add different functional additives to make the plastic increase the conductivity, or increase the strength, or can be degraded." The mission of our team is to utilize synthetic resins and recyclable plastics produced by large petrochemical companies with high quality and high value through plastic modification technology. I'm honored to be nicknamed 'Modified Professor.'"

After modification, plastic can be "transformed" into parts of automobiles, electronic products, construction and decoration materials, various packaging materials, as well as clothing, shoes and hats, involving all aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation.

Behind the change is the power of scientific research. In the field of modified plastics, Chen Qinghua and his "golden partner" Qian Qingrong together, adhere to exploration, committed to changing "plastic" into "treasure".

The two started dating 25 years ago. In 1997, Chen Qinghua transferred from Fuzhou Plastics Research Institute to Fujian Normal University, and Qian Qingrong is studying for a part-time master's degree. In the school retired professor Zhuang Jinshu matchmaking, two "singles" get to know. Qian Qingrong said: "Plus Mr. Zhuang count half, is our start-up team."

At the beginning of the founding of the team, Chen Qinghua focused on applied research: "We transferred engineers from the enterprise, starting from the application, and then extending and breaking through the theory." In 1999, they contributed to the establishment of the Environmental Materials Development Institute of Fujian Normal University, which opened the prelude of school-enterprise cooperation.

"The cooperative enterprise is introduced by Mr. Zhuang, Fuzhou Yaosheng flexible packaging factory. We often go to the factory by bike to research biodegradable plastic bags." Mr. Qian recalled that the fee was 50,000 yuan.

If Mr. Zhuang's rich industrial experience opened the application world for the team, and Professor Zhang Wengong, the inventor of the world's three major coupling agents - aluminate coupling agent, is both Chen Qinghua's doctoral supervisor and Qian Qingrong's master's supervisor, which laid the foundation for Chen Qinghua's team's scientific research theory. In 1999, they won the major project funding of Fujian Provincial Natural Fund, in 2001, they won the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" science and technology research project, and in 2002, they won the title of the first ten advanced individuals of Fujian Normal University.

The exploration of the front line allows them to keenly capture the changing winds of the industry.

Qian Qingrong said: "Plastic products generally go through multiple processes such as petroleum refining - monomer polymerization - synthetic resin - plastic modification - molding processing, which consumes non-renewable resources and produces a lot of carbon emissions." If directly degraded or buried after use, it will also lead to waste of resources and environmental pollution. From then on, we felt that we should pay attention to the research of plastic recycling."

In 1996, China has put forward a sustainable development strategy, which brings development opportunities to the recycled plastics industry. But looking across the country, the entire industry has just started, and most of the recycling plastics industry at that time are scavengers. As an early university team involved in this field, Chen Qinghua was once nicknamed "Professor garbage".

"To overcome the key core technology of plastic recycling, enhance the ability of industrial innovation, and do a good job of the 'green article' of living resource recycling, we are committed to it!" Chen Qinghua identified this path, leading the team from degradable plastics to recycled plastics research.

They set up shop at the Fuzhou Hongmiaoling dump to gauge the plastic waste, spending days at a time in the stench and heat. Aware of the pollution caused by garbage mixing, Chen Qinghua took the lead in calling for wet and dry garbage classification in 2001, and established an industrial park for household garbage classification and recycling, focusing on recycling waste plastics.

At the same time, in the school-enterprise cooperation, Chen Qinghua realized that the development of resource circular economy urgently needs to strengthen high-level personnel training. In 2010, taking advantage of the professional adjustment of universities across the country, Chen Qinghua led the team to build the undergraduate major of "Resource Recycling Science and Engineering".

"This is a typical professional spawned by the development of strategic emerging industries, chemistry, materials, environment, ecology, economics and other interdisciplinary emerging disciplines, but also the first in China to establish a unique specialty." Chen Qinghua said, "We are honored to be one of the 10 universities in China approved to eat crabs in 2011."

In just five years, Fujian Normal University has been approved as a doctoral and master's degree program of "Resource Recycling Science and Engineering", forming a complete chain of talent training. This provides a solid talent support for the integrated development of scientific research and application.

In 2013, the Engineering Research Center for Green Recycling of Polymer Resources of the Ministry of Education of Fujian Normal University was approved to be established, filling the gap in the ministerial platform in this field; Subsequently, Fujian Normal University Quangang Petrochemical Research Institute was established in Quanzhou, becoming one of the first new scientific research institutions in Fujian Province, and further opening up the channel from scientific research to the transformation of results.

Do enterprise "outside brain", and industry together

"As a highly applied discipline, we want to be the 'outside brain' of the enterprise." Regardless of the start-up or maturity of the enterprise, do not ask the size, try to be responsive, have questions and answer, help a journey, help a."

"The output of recycled plastic contains a little high impurity rate, residual aluminum more, how to do?" Received a call from Xiamen Luhai Company, Xue Hui, the backbone of the team and the head of the university innovation team, immediately answered: "Is the aluminum layer grinding parameter control wrong?" Or not enough lye? Give me the datagram."

After the experiment, the impurity content of recycled plastic particles was finally qualified, the ash content was reduced to less than 5%, and the problem of the enterprise was solved.

Separating, recycling and recycling common "paper-plastic-aluminum composite packaging materials" such as Tetra Pak bags is the subject of cooperation between Xue Hui and Xiamen Luhai Company.

"The problem of the enterprise as a topic, urgent our urgent, Professor Chen's team is' timely rain '!" Xie Yibin, deputy general manager of Xiamen Luhai Company, told reporters that the cooperation between the two sides has lasted for 10 years, from jointly applying for patents to carrying out research projects, and the cooperation is getting closer and closer.

"Fujian's recycled plastics industry is mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, product research and development, industry resources and other capabilities are relatively limited." Chen Qinghua said, "As a highly applied discipline, we want to be the 'outside brain' of the enterprise." Regardless of the start-up or maturity of the enterprise, do not ask the size, try to be responsive, have questions and answer, help a journey, help a."

From the establishment of Fujian Province modified plastics technology development base in 2006, to become the backbone of Fujian Province and even China Plastics Industry Association, more than 20 years, Chen Qinghua team gives full play to the influence of the industry, spare no effort to expand the recycled plastics "circle of friends" : provide technical services for more than 50 enterprises inside and outside the province, but also bring policy advice, industry resources and other aspects of support; Coordinate upstream and downstream industrial chain resources to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in the national recycled plastics industry; In 2015, the joint industry associations, leading enterprises and other initiatives to establish the "China recycled plastics technology innovation Strategic Alliance", covering the whole industrial chain of recycled plastics.

In 2017, policies such as restricting and banning the import of solid waste and classifying and recycling domestic waste were introduced successively, and the recycled plastics industry suffered from a raw material crisis. Transition or exit, a large number of enterprises stand at the crossroads of choice. At this critical moment, Chen Qinghua team and enterprises work together to find a breakthrough in the industry.

Source, promote household waste classification -- cooperate with Fujian Longma Company to jointly develop "household waste classification and collection intelligent system", open up "sanitation" and "resource recycling", and expand raw material sources;

In the middle end, fine sorting and quality value-added - support Xiamen Luhai Company in the fine sorting of domestic waste, improve the awareness of polymer materials, accurate classification, so as to improve the efficiency of resource recycling, and help Xiamen waste classification work to reduce and resource 3.0 model;

Downstream, improve the quality of recycled plastics - the "Internet-based + recycled color yarn supermarket construction and technology integration" project carried out jointly with Fujian Baichuan Company, and the "Key technology of recycling plastics high value and green manufacturing system integration" project in cooperation with Guangdong Jinfa Company were selected as the "Green Manufacturing System Integration Project" of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It has overcome key technologies such as "waterless dyeing" of recycled PET and high-quality recycling of engineering plastics.

From "exhausted" to "bright", Chen Qinghua team has always solved the difficulties of enterprises with professional strength and advanced with the industry. Because they have higher expectations for this industry.

In 2016, the World Economic Forum in Davos put forward the concept of "new plastic economy", advocating the establishment of a plastic circular economy. "In response to the new international situation, we must master the right to speak, formulate the rules of the 'new plastics economy' with Chinese characteristics, and build our own development model." "Chen Qinghua said. Under his auspices and promotion, a series of plastic recycling standards have been introduced to help the healthy and orderly development of the industry.

Explore the future and run at the forefront of the industry

"Circular economy is an inevitable trend for economic development to enter a higher level. We must be ahead of The Times, at the forefront of the industry, and find solutions to the problems that the economy and society urgently need to solve."

In the blending modification laboratory of Fujian Normal University, there are two vacuum glove boxes. The high purity inert gas in the tank protects the lithium-ion battery material from safe and stable test operation in an oxygen-free and water-free environment.

One "belongs" to Zeng Lingxing. "After 80", he is the deputy director of the provincial Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and resource recycling. Zeng Lingxing, who was originally engaged in power battery research, joined Chen Qinghua's team and began to challenge the recycling and recycling of polymer-derived electrode materials and waste batteries.

"The recycling and utilization of power batteries is the current industrial hot spot and the urgent need of society." Zeng Lingxing revealed that they are stepping up research and strive to use the positive electrode regeneration of used power batteries, so as to environmentally friendly and efficient recycling of valuable metals and waste plastics in used batteries.

"Combined with plastic, exhaust gas and waste residue can also turn waste into treasure." Luo Yongjin, another "post-80s" member of the team, is the leader of the key research and development plan, and is cooperating with Fujian Zhongke Sanjing to develop rubber and plastic composite materials; In cooperation with Fujian Longjing Environmental Protection, the recycled plastic products modified by desulfurization ash after tail gas treatment have been put into pilot test.

"The core of scientific and technological development is talent, and the quality of the talent team determines the height of future development." Chen Qinghua and Qian Qingrong this pair of "golden partners", gradually give young people the burden, give space. Luo Yongjin and Zeng Lingxing, who are already the backbone of the team, were selected as the top young talents of Fujian Province "Young Eagle Program"; Most of the more than 200 masters and doctors trained by the team are engaged in the industry, among which Chen Yuming went abroad for further study after his master's degree, and was introduced back to Fujian Normal University in 2019 as a major talent project youth candidate. He has joined the team to carry out the work of cracking waste plastics into fine chemicals, and they are committed to circular economy and carbon emission reduction, and strive to innovate the comprehensive utilization model of bulk solid waste.

In the future, more industrial development needs are waiting to be cracked.

In the construction process of Fujian ecological civilization pilot Zone and "waste free city", Chen Qinghua's team once again made a transformation and upgrading of research direction for regional economic and social development.

"Light industrial building materials is the traditional pillar industry in Fujian, of which textile and clothing, leather and shoes, stone is its characteristics, every year to produce a large number of textiles, plastics, leather, shoe materials, stone powder and other solid waste." We hope to break through industrial boundaries, achieve cross-industry cascade utilization, and form collaborative coupling disposal and resource utilization." "Chen Qinghua said.

As early as during the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, Chen Qinghua's team helped plan and build Quanzhou Haixi Renewable Resources Park and Xiamen Oasis two "urban mineral" demonstration bases; During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, Chen Qinghua became the chief scientist of the key research and development plan "Solid waste resource recycling" key project - "Integrated Demonstration of comprehensive utilization of solid waste in Southeast Light Industry Building Materials Characteristic Industrial Agglomeration Area" project; At present, the team is actively participating in the construction of Fuzhou Hongmiaoling domestic waste recycling economy Industrial Park, helping to open up the "last kilometer" of waste classification.

The "14th Five-Year Plan" circular economy Development Plan proposes that by 2025, the output value of China's resource recycling industry will reach 5 trillion yuan. Chen Qinghua team more firmly believe that the development of resource recycling industry will usher in unprecedented opportunities.

In July last year, Fujian Normal University established the provincial Carbon neutral Research Institute, and Chen Qinghua's team led the construction of the "Research Center for Material Saving and solid waste resource Utilization", which will further provide technical support and intellectual guarantee for Fujian petrochemical industry and resource recycling industry.

Just after the Spring Festival this year, Chen Qinghua's team is non-stop, focusing on the green economic development of our province, docking waste plastics, industrial solid waste, "waste free city", park green industry chain and other projects. On the afternoon of April 1, the team held an online seminar with the Solid Waste and Chemical Management Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other units to promote carbon neutral research and projects in the field of solid waste in Fujian Province. "Circular economy is an inevitable trend for economic development to enter a higher level. We must be ahead of The Times, at the forefront of the industry, and find solutions to the problems that the economy and society urgently need to solve." "Chen Qinghua said.

To the field of resource recycling deeper and wider "break the game", "double carbon" era, they will stand at a new starting point.