Out of trash, CICY creates trialum; an all purpose material

A resistant laminate, which can also be used to manufacture furniture.

MÉRIDA, YUCATAN.- At the Center for Scientific Research of Yucatan’s (CICY) Materials Unit, several projects are being developed using solid waste such as PET, to create quality goods.

Among the products that have been created is a resistant and versatile laminated material, which can be used in the manufacture of furniture, facades, walls, and ceilings, as well as in the coating of transport vehicles with a compound called trialum.

What is trialum?

Researcher José Gonzalo Carrillo Baeza, one of the inventors of this technology, informed that this sheet is created with a core of recycled material made up of 80% plastic containers and multilayer tetrapak; the center, in turn, is covered with thin layers of aluminum, which gives it versatility.

“This new material is the result of a continuous process of technological maturation that we have developed in just over 10 years, in collaboration with the support, very important support, of students who have done their social service or an undergraduate thesis, where they have learned techniques to develop this type of technology,” he explained.

This project is focused on the use of domestic waste such as plastic bottles and juice or milk cartons, to which -it was discovered in the research- thin layers of aluminum are added to coat it, which can make it more resistant to the sun’s rays, which are aggressive at this latitude.

“When evaluating the characteristics of this material, we saw that the resistance was greater due to the presence of aluminum and it also acquired the property of being able to roll it up, that is, we can bend it to use it in facades, concrete coatings, decoration, and furniture. All those facades that we see in supermarkets, car dealerships, and convenience stores use this type of material,” he added.