Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiuling Yu, Aurora del Carmen Munguia-Lopez, Victor S. Cecon, Kevin L. Sanchez-Rivera, Kevin Nelson, Jiayang Wu, Shreyas Kolapkar, Victor M. Zavala, Greg W. Curtzwiler, Keith L. Vorst, Ezra Bar-Ziv, George W. Huber
Summary: The high use of disposable face masks due to COVID-19 has led to a global waste generation of 4.68-6.24 million tons per year from personal protective equipment. Disposable face masks, primarily composed of polypropylene (PP), are disposed of in landfills despite the high market value of PP. This study presents a solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP) method that achieves 90% recovery of high-quality PP from face masks. N,N-Dimethylacetamide effectively removes color from the recovered PP, resulting in clear high-purity PP with similar thermochemical properties and color as virgin PP resin. Techno-economic analysis indicates that economically viable high-purity PP recovery can be achieved at a scale of 5000 tons per year or higher.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Karollyne Gomes de Castro Monsores, Anderson Oliveira da Silva, Suzane de SantAna Oliveira, Ricardo Ponde Weber, Paulo Feliciano Filho, Sergio Neves Monteiro
Summary: The study investigated the mechanical, structural, and morphological properties of polystyrene under fatigue combined with accelerated aging. It was found that irradiation caused changes in mechanical resistance and properties such as reduced molecular mass and increased crystallinity, influencing the failure mechanism in mechanically fractured specimens.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Francesco Paolo La Mantia, Roberto Scaffaro, Marilena Baiamonte, Manuela Ceraulo, Maria Chiara Mistretta
Summary: Polymers are influenced by various environmental stresses during processing and usage, resulting in changes in their chemical and molecular structure as well as morphology. The main observed changes are reduction in molecular weight and the formation of double bonds and oxygenated groups due to degradation. These changes dramatically modify the macroscopic properties, especially in the recycling process of post-consumer plastic products.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marthe Kiendrebeogo, M. R. Karimi Estahbanati, Yassine Ouarda, Patrick Drogui, R. D. Tyagi
Summary: This study investigates the role of main reactive oxygen species in the electrooxidation and electro-peroxidation of microplastics and nanoplastics in water. The study demonstrates that electro-peroxidation process is around 2.6 times more effective than electrooxidation process in degrading NPs, with an optimum degradation efficiency of 86.8%. Economic analysis shows that the operating cost of treating NPs using electro-peroxidation process is approximately 10 times less than using electrooxidation process.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Rebecca E. Harmon, Gorugantu SriBala, Linda J. Broadbelt, Alan K. Burnham
Summary: A comparison of pyrolysis models for polyethylene and polypropylene suggests that mechanistic modeling could be a valuable complement to understand additional effects in polymer decomposition.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Amira Farzana Samat, Dee Carter, Ali Abbas
Summary: This study focuses on the degradation of polypropylene (PP) using Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 and Engyodontium album BRIP 61534a, with emphasis on pre-treatment. UV and heat-treated metallised film (MFPP) demonstrated significant weight loss when incubated with A. terreus. Biomass production, reduction rate, FTIR, and SEM analyses support the degradation rate. The results indicate that PP can be utilized as a carbon source by A. terreus and E. album with the aid of pre-treatment, promoting biological pathways for plastic waste treatment.
NPJ MATERIALS DEGRADATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yu Li, Jie Li, Jia Ding, Zirong Song, Bochen Yang, Chuanming Zhang, Baohong Guan
Summary: The presence of nanoplastics in drinking water has caused concerns due to inevitable exposure to human beings. This study focused on the degradation of nano-sized polystyrene plastics using two commonly used disinfection techniques, ozone and chlorination. Results showed that ozone achieved higher molecular weight degradation and mineralization compared to chlorination, indicating ozone as a potential technique to tackle nanoplastics pollution in drinking water treatment plants.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Santhoshini Priya Thomas, Pravin Subrahmaniyan, Vijay Kirubakar Raj Dhanaswamy, Balasubramanian Natesan
Summary: The study focuses on synthesizing cerium doped zinc oxide nanoparticles as a photocatalyst and testing non-woven polypropylene fabric loaded with these nanoparticles for photo decolorization. The synthesized photocatalyst was characterized using various methods, and the fabric material was tested for air permeability, thickness, and bursting strength. Congo Red dye was used as an organic pollutant and 86% photo decolorization was achieved using the NWP Photocatalytic bag under visible light. The study demonstrates the effectiveness and potential industrial applications of the NWP Photocatalytic bag.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Prieskarinda Lestari, Yulinah Trihadiningrum, I. D. A. A. Warmadewanthi
Summary: This research investigated the degradation of LDPE and PP under the influence of UV radiation and water velocity with specific environmental conditions. The results showed that LDPE experienced more weight loss than PP under the combined exposure of UV and high water velocity. The synergistic effects of photodegradation, physical-mechanical, and hydrolysis degradation mechanisms had a significant impact on the degradation of LDPE and PP.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Linxiang Lyu, Monisha Bagchi, Nektaria Markoglou, Chunjiang An, He Peng, Huifang Bi, Xiaohan Yang, Huijuan Sun
Summary: There has been a significant increase in the usage of face masks, leading to concerns about managing their waste. The accumulation of non-degradable plastic waste from masks has caused environmental and ecological challenges, putting pressure on waste management methods. This article reviews the impact of mask-related plastic waste, discusses recycling methods, and offers forward-looking strategies for managing mask waste and improving current waste management systems.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz, Mark Gale, Peter M. Nguyen
Summary: The study investigated the physicochemical properties of char and activated carbon produced from the co-pyrolysis of corn stover and plastics (PS and PET). The addition of PS or PET promoted the formation of solid char with larger pore sizes or higher surface areas than control samples. Activated carbon from corn stover exhibited the best performance in removing vanillin, while activated carbon from co-pyrolysis of corn stover and PS or PET showed lower removal rates.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marco Capolupo, Paola Valbonesi, Elena Fabbri
Summary: This study found that Mediterranean mussels exposed to nanoplastics were more susceptible to effects on lysosomal, metabolic, and neurological functions compared to those exposed to microplastics.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gireeshkumar Balakrishnan, Fabienne Lagarde, Christophe Chassenieux, Arnaud Martel, Elise Deniau, Taco Nicolai
Summary: This study investigates the degradation of nanoplastics under UV irradiation and finds that the degradation rate is independent of particle size. After complete UV exposure, all nanoplastics fully degrade, with the degradation rate of polystyrene (PS) particles being faster than that of polyethylene (PE) particles. The study also reveals that degradation mainly occurs within the particles through the release of organic molecules.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Yoshihiko Shiraki, Masayuki Saito, Norifumi L. Yamada, Kohzo Ito, Hideaki Yokoyama
Summary: Polyolefins, the most widely used plastics globally, have poor adhesion due to the lack of polar groups, which poses challenges for recycling. In this study, a novel adhesion system using a polyurethane adhesive and an untreated polyolefin was described, where the interface is tightly bound by needle-like polyolefin crystals similar to nails adhering to wood. The polyurethane and polyolefin inter-diffuse at high temperatures, forming a mixed interfacial layer that recrystallizes upon cooling. Polyurethanes with optimally balanced non-polar and polar blocks exhibit superior adhesion due to their larger miscibility windows, polyolefin compatibilities, and the resulting long needle-like polyolefin crystals.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Min-Geun Kang, Min-Jin Kwak, Younghoon Kim
Summary: Researchers discovered that Enterobacter hormaechei LG3, a facultative anaerobic bacterial strain isolated from the gut of mealworms, can oxidize and depolymerize polystyrene under anaerobic conditions. The bacterium formed a biofilm on the plastic surface and demonstrated effective biodegradation of polystyrene. Degradative enzymes and changes in gene expression patterns were identified, indicating the potential of anaerobic biodegradation by polystyrene-degrading bacteria.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)