Bill Starnes' Patent Promises Better Plastic Along with Safer World

令化学教授威廉·斯塔恩斯（William Starnes）最近获得PVC有机稳定剂专利的弗洛伊德·杜威·戈特瓦尔德（Floyd Dewey Gottwald）最兴奋的，并不是这项发明可能给他、学院和他的部门带来巨大的金钱潜力。 他的想法是，他对价值18亿美元的热稳定剂行业的贡献可以帮助拯救生命。

One of the most widely used plastics in the world, PVC, or poly(vinyl chloride), has been attacked for its potentially adverse environmental effects. When heated, PVC tends to degrade. To prevent this degradation, heat stabilizers are added to the polymer. Until now, the problem has been that the best, most effective stabilizers contain heavy metals which are often toxic and environmentally unfriendly. While the PVC industry is cautious about how and where these kinds of stabilizers are used, environmental groups aren't satisfied. But Starnes and his research team have discovered a solution that benefits both sides of the debate.

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