Materials producer Trinseo has partnered with Italy-based eyewear lenses manufacturer Lapo to develop lenses made of chemically recycled polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).
PMMA, also known as acrylic glass, is a transparent thermoplastic often used in sheet form as a lightweight, shatter-resistant alternative to glass.
Lapo tested and approved Trinseo’s ALTUGLAS R-LIFE V046 CR88 grade, an acrylic resin made with a minimum of 86% attributed recycled content.
The chemically recycled lenses will be used for demonstration purposes, aiding buyers in understanding what the glasses look like when worn.
US-based Trinseo depolymerised waste PMMA back into MMA monomers at its manufacturing site in Rho, Italy. The recently opened plant produces material for Trinseo’s ALTUGLAS and PLEXIGLAS R-Life product portfolios.
Trinseo’s PMMA depolymerisation technology uses a continuous process to produce high-purity regenerated MMA from pre- and post-consumer acrylic solutions. It leverages findings from the MMAtwo Consortium, a collaborative initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, to develop a new value chain for pre- and post-consumer PMMA and a versatile recycling process for converting this waste into high-quality regenerated monomer with carbon footprint reduction versus virgin MMA.
Trinseo says the recycled PMMA that matches the quality of its virgin counterpart while reducing product carbon footprint by 27%. Lapo said the material meets the mechanical, thermal, processing, scratch, chemical resistance, and demanding optical performance necessary for its eyewear lenses.