Scientists have found a clean, energy-saving way to recycle Teflon using only sodium and agitation.
New scientific findings reveal a simple and environmentally friendly approach to breaking down Teflon, one of the most resilient plastics on earth, into valuable chemical components.
A team of scientists from Newcastle University and the University of Birmingham has developed a clean, energy-efficient process for recycling Teflon (PTFE), a material widely known for its role in nonstick cookware and other applications that require exceptional heat and chemical resistance.
The study shows that discarded Teflon can be converted into reusable materials using only sodium metal and mechanical agitation (agitation by shaking) at room temperature, all without the use of harmful solvents.
In detail in Journal of the American Chemical Society (Jacs) On October 22, the research will unveil a low-energy, zero-waste method that offers a new alternative to traditional fluorine recycling techniques.
Dr. Roly Armstrong, lecturer in chemistry at Newcastle University and corresponding author, said: “The process we discovered breaks the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in Teflon and converts it into sodium fluoride, which is used in fluoride toothpastes and added to drinking water.
Turn waste into resources
“Hundreds of thousands of tons of Teflon are produced around the world every year – it's used in everything from lubricants to cookware coatings, and currently there are very few ways to get rid of it. When these products reach the end of their life, they currently end up in landfill – but this process allows us to extract the fluorine and recycle it into useful new materials.”
Associate Professor Dr. Erli Lu from the University of Birmingham commented: “Fluorine is a vital element in modern life – it is found in around a third of all new medicines and in many advanced materials. However, fluorine is traditionally obtained through energy-intensive and highly polluting mining and chemical processes. Our method shows that we can recover it from everyday waste and directly reuse it – turning a disposal problem into a resource opportunity.”
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), best known by the brand name Teflon, is valued for its heat and chemical resistance, making it ideal for cookware, electronics and laboratory equipment. However, the same properties make it almost impossible to recycle.
When burned or incinerated, PTFE releases persistent pollutants known as “forever chemicals” (PFAS) that remain in the environment for decades. Conventional disposal methods therefore pose major environmental and health problems.
Mechanochemistry: A green solution
The research team addressed this challenge using mechanochemistry – an environmentally friendly approach that drives chemical reactions by applying mechanical energy instead of heat.
In a sealed steel container called a ball mill, sodium metal fragments are ground with Teflon, causing them to react at room temperature. The process breaks the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in Teflon and converts it into harmless carbon and sodium fluoride, a stable inorganic salt commonly used in fluoride toothpastes.
The researchers then showed that the sodium fluoride obtained in this way can be used directly to produce other valuable fluorine-containing molecules, even without purification. These include compounds used in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and other fine chemicals.
Dominik Kubicki, leader of the University of Birmingham's solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) team, commented: “We used advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy – one of our specialist areas in Birmingham – to examine the interior of the reaction mixture at the atomic level. This allowed us to demonstrate that the process produces clean sodium fluoride with no by-products. It is a perfect example of how cutting-edge materials characterization can accelerate progress towards sustainability.”
A blueprint for a circular fluorine economy
The discovery provides a blueprint for a circular economy for fluorine, where valuable elements are recovered from industrial waste rather than thrown away. This could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of fluorine-based chemicals, which are crucial in medicine, electronics and renewable energy technologies.
“Our approach is simple, fast and uses inexpensive materials,” said Dr. Lu. “We hope it will stimulate further work on reusing other types of fluorinated waste and help make the production of vital fluorine-containing compounds more sustainable.”
The work also highlights the growing importance of mechanochemistry – an emerging branch of green chemistry that replaces high-temperature or solvent-intensive reactions with simple mechanical motion – as a tool for sustainable innovation.
Dr. Kubicki added: “This research shows how interdisciplinary science combining materials chemistry with advanced spectroscopy can turn one of the most durable plastics back into something useful. It's a small but important step towards sustainable fluorine chemistry.”
Reference: “A reductive mechanochemical approach that enables the direct upcycling of fluoride from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) into fine chemicals” by Matthew E. Lowe, Benjamin M. Gallant, Nathan Davison, Matthew N. Hopkinson, Dominik J. Kubicki, Erli Lu and Roly J. Armstrong, October 21, 2025, Journal of the American Chemical Society.
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c14052
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