Is plastic the new steel? Axion International of New Providence, N.J., is using technology developed at Rutgers University to build I-beams from recycled plastics. The beams today are used to build small bridges, a potentially big opportunity. (Studies say 80,000 such structures in the U.S. are nearly obsolete.) Axion says its beams are cost-competitive, and unlike rival materials, they won't rust, corrode -- or be eaten by termites.
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