Researchers have found a way to turn Teflon into useful fluoride products, potentially opening up a way to recycle a durable plastic into something friendlier to the environment and to human health.

A group of scientists at Newcastle University and the University of Birmingham demonstrated an energy-efficient process that subjects polytetrafluoroethylene, known as Teflon, to a shaking process using sodium metal at room temperature, avoiding the need for relatively costly high-temperature processes.

The method breaks the carbon-fluorine bonds in Teflon and results in sodium fluoride, which can be used as a safe additive in toothpaste and drinking water to improve dental health.

The process presents a new way to recycle polytetrafluoroethylene, which is used in cookware and lubrication be

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