Mixed plastics waste valorization to high-added value products via thermally induced phase separation and spin-casting

Plastic waste is an underutilized resource that has the potential to be transformed into value-added materials.However,its chemical diversity leads to cost-intensive sorting techniques,limiting recycling and upcycling opportunities.Herein,we report an open-loop recycling method to produce graded feedstock from mixed polyolefins waste,which makes up 60%of total plastic waste.The method uses heat flow scanning to quantify the composition of plastic waste and resolves its compatibility through controlled dissolution.The resulting feedstock is then used to synthesize blended pellets,porous sorbents,and superhydrophobic coatings via thermally induced phase separation and spin-casting.The hybrid approach broadens the opportunities for reusing plastic waste,which is a step towards creating a more circular economy and better waste management practices.

Wax from Pyrolysis of Waste Plastics as a Potential Source of Phase Change Material for Thermal Energy Storage

Over the past half-century, plastic consumption has grown rapidly due to its versatility, low cost, and unrivaled functional properties. Among the diff erent implemented strategies for recycling waste plastics, pyrolysis is deemed the most economical option. Currently, the wax obtained from the pyrolysis of waste plastics is mainly used as a feedstock to manufacture chemicals and fuels or added to asphalt for pavement construction, with no other applications of wax being reported. Herein, the thermal pyrolysis of three common waste polyolefin plastics: high-density polyethylene(HDPE), low-density polyethylene(LDPE), and polypropylene(PP), was conducted at 450 ℃. The waste plastics-derived waxes were characterized and studied for a potential new application: phase change materials(PCMs) for thermal energy storage(TES). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that paraffin makes up most of the composition of HDPE and LDPE waxes, whereas PP wax contains a mixture of naphthene, isoparaffin, olefin, and paraffin. Diff erential scanning calorimetry(DSC) analysis indicated that HDPE and LDPE waxes have a peak melting temperature of 33.8 ℃ and 40.3 ℃, with a relatively high latent heat of 103.2 J/g and 88.3 J/g, respectively, whereas the PP wax was found to have almost negligible latent heat. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and DSC results revealed good chemical and thermal stability of HDPE and LDPE waxes after 100 cycles of thermal cycling. Performance evaluation of the waxes was also conducted using a thermal storage pad to understand their thermoregulation characteristics for TES applications.

Synergism of solar-driven interfacial evaporation and photo-Fenton Cr(Ⅵ) reduction by sustainable Bi-MOF-based evaporator from waste polyester

The integration of interfacial solar steam generation and photocatalytic degradation technology has pro-vided a promising platform to simultaneously produce freshwater and degrade pollutants.However,con-structing low-cost,multi-functional evaporators for treating Cr(Ⅵ)-polluted water remains challenging,and the synergistic mechanism on Cr(Ⅵ)reduction is fuzzy.Herein,we propose the combined strategy of ball milling and solution mixing for the sustainable production of Bi-MOF microrod from waste poly(ethylene terephthalate),and construct Bi-MOF-based solar evaporators for simultaneous photo-Fenton Cr(Ⅵ)reduction and freshwater production.Firstly,the evaporator comprised of Bi-MOF microrod and graphene nanosheet possesses high light absorption,efficient photothermal conversion,and good hydro-philic property.Attributing to the advantages,the hybrid evaporator exhibits the evaporation rate of 2.16 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) and evaporation efficiency of 87.5%under 1 kW m^(-2) of irradiation.When integrating with photo-Fenton reaction,the Cr(Ⅵ)reduction efficiency is 91.3%,along with the reaction kinetics of 0.0548 min^(-1),surpassing many advanced catalysts.In the outdoor freshwater production and Cr(Ⅵ)reduction,the daily accumulative water yield is 5.17 kg m^(-2) h^(-1),and the Cr(Ⅵ)reduction efficiency is 99.9%.Furthermore,we prove that the localization effect derived from the interfacial solar-driven evap-oration enhances H_(2)O_(2) activation for the photo-Fenton reduction of Cr(Ⅵ).Based on the result of density functional theory,Bi-MOF microrod provides rich active centers for H_(2)O_(2) activation to produce active sites such as e-or-O_(2).This study not only proposes a new strategy to construct multi-functional solar evaporators for freshwater production and catalytic reduction of pollutants,but also advances the chem-ical upcycling of waste polyesters.

New steelmaking process based on clean deoxidation technology

After the converter steelmaking process,a considerable number of ferroalloys are needed to remove dissolved oxygen from the molten steel,but it also forms a lot of oxide inclusions that cannot be completely removed.At the same time,it increases the carbon emis-sions in the steel production process.After years of research,our team have developed a series of clean deoxidation technologies,includ-ing carbon deoxidation,hydrogen deoxidation,and waste plastic deoxidation of molten steel to address the aforementioned issues.In this study,thermodynamic calculations and laboratory experiments were employed to verify that carbon and hydrogen can reduce the total oxygen content in the molten steel melt to below 5×10^(-6) and 10×10^(-6),respectively.An analysis of the deoxidation mechanisms and ef-fects of polyethylene and polypropylene was also conducted.In addition,the applications of carbon deoxidation technology in different steels with the hot-state experiment and industrial production were discussed carefully.The carbon deoxidation experimental results of different steels were as follows:(1)the oxygen content of bearing steel was effectively controlled at 6.3×10^(-6) and the inclusion number density was lowered by 74.73%compared to aluminum deoxidized bearing steel;(2)the oxygen content in gear steel was reduced to 7.7×10^(-6) and a 54.49%reduction of inclusion number density was achieved with almost no inclusions larger than 5μm from the average level of industry gear steels;(3)a total oxygen content of M2 high-speed steel was as low as 3.7×10^(-6).In industrial production practice,car-bon deoxidation technique was applied in the final deoxidation stage for non-aluminum deoxidized bearing steel,and it yielded excellent results that the oxygen content was reduced to below 8×10^(-6) and the oxide inclusions in the steel mainly consist of silicates,along with small amounts of spinel and calcium aluminate.

Efficient and selective upcycling of waste polylactic acid into acetate using nickel selenide

The conversion of waste polylactic acid(PLA)plastics into high-value-added chemicals through electrochemical methods is a promising and sustainable approach.However,developing efficient and highly selective catalysts for lactic acid oxidation reaction(LAOR)and understanding the reaction process are challenging.Here,we report the electrooxidation of waste PLA to acetate at a high current density of 100 mA cm-2 with high Faraday efficiency(~95%)and excellent stability(>100 h)over a nickel selenide nanosheet catalyst.In addition,a total Faraday efficiency of up to 190%was achieved for carboxylic acids,including acetic acid and formic acid,by coupling with the cathodic CO_(2) reduction reaction.In situ experimental results and theoretical simulations revealed that the catalytic activity center of LAOR was dynamically formed NiOOH species,and the surface-adsorbed SeO_(x) species accelerated the formation of Ni~(3+)species,thus promoting catalytic activity.The mechanism of lactic acid electrooxidation was further elucidated.Lactic acid was dehydrogenated to produce pyruvate first and then formed CH_3CO due to preferential C-C bond cleavage,resulting in the presence of acetate.This work demonstrated a sustainable method for recycling waste PLA and CO_(2) into high-value-added products.

MOF synthesis using waste PET for applications of adsorption, catalysis and energy storage

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as one of non-degradable wastes has become a huge threat to the environment and human health.Chemical Recycle of PET is a sustainable way to release 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDC) the monomer of PET as common used organiclinker for synthesis of functional Metal–organic-frameworks (PET-derived MOFs) such as UiO-66, MIL-101, etc. This sustainable and costeffective“Waste-to-MOFs” model is of great significant to be intensively investigated in the past years. Attributes of substantial porosity, specificsurface area, exposed metal centers, uniform structure, and flexible morphology render PET-derived MOFs are well-suited for applications inadsorption, energy storage, catalysis, among others. Herein, in the present work, we have summarized recent advances in synthesis of PETderived MOFs using ex-situ and in-situ methods for typical applications of adsorption, catalysis and energy storage. Despite those improvementsin synthesis methods and potential applications, challenges still remain in development of green and economical routes to fully utilize waste PETfor massive manufacture of valuable MOF materials and chemicals. This review provides insights into the conversion of non-degradable PETwaste to value-added MOF materials, and further suggests promising perspectives to develop the sustainable “Waste-to-MOFs” model inaddressing environmental pollution and energy crises.

New possibility for PET plastic recycling by a tailored hydrolytic enzyme

Plastic waste puts a huge burden on the ecosystem due to the current lack of mature recycling technology.Poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET)is one of the most produced plastics in the world.Enzymatic decomposition holds the promise of recovering monomers from PET plastic,and the monomers can be used to regenerate new PET products.However,there are still limitations in the activity and thermal stability of the existing PET hydrolases.The recent study by Lu et al.introduced a novel PET hydrolase via machine learning-aided engineering.The obtained PET hydrolase showed excellent activity and thermal stability in the hydrolysis of PET and is capable of directly degrading large amounts of postconsumer PET products.This approach provides an effective method for recycling PET waste and is expected to improve the current state of plastic pollution worldwide.

How to enhance agricultural plastic waste management in China?Insights from public participation

Agricultural plastics play a pivotal role in agricultural production.However,due to expensive costs,agricultural plastic waste management(APWM)encounters a vast funding gap.As one of the crucial stakeholders,the public deserves to make appropriate efforts for APWM.Accordingly,identifying whether the public is willing to pay for APWM and clarifying the decisions’driving pathways to explore initiatives for promoting their payment intentions are essential to address the dilemma confronting APWM.To this end,by applying the extended theory of planned behavior(TPB),the study conducted an empirical analysis based on 1,288 residents from four provinces(autonomous regions)of northern China.Results illustrate that:1)respondents hold generally positive and relatively strong payment willingness towards APWM;2)respondents’attitude(AT),subjective norm(SN),and perceived behavioral control(PBC)are positively correlated with their payment intentions(INT);3)environmental cognition(EC)and environmental emotion(EE)positively moderate the relationships between AT and INT,and between SN and INT,posing significant indirect impacts on INT.The study’s implications extend to informing government policies,suggesting that multi-entity cooperation,specifically public payment for APWM,can enhance agricultural non-point waste management.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Plastic Waste: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives

Microplastics are persistent anthropogenic pollutants that have become a global concern due to their widespread distribution and unfamiliar threat to the environment and living organisms. Conventional technologies are unable to fully decompose and mineralize plastic waste. Therefore, there is a need to develop an environmentally friendly, innovative and sustainable photocatalytic process that can destroy these wastes with much less energy and chemical consumption. In photocatalysis, various nanomaterials based on wide energy band gap semiconductors such as TiO2 and ZnO are used for the conversion of plastic contaminants into environmentally friendly compounds. In this work, the removal of plastic fragments by photocatalytic reactions using newly developed photocatalytic composites and the mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of microplastics are systematically investigated. In these degradation processes, sunlight or an artificial light source is used to activate the photocatalyst in the presence of oxygen.

Impact of Plastic Waste on the Human Health in Low-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Background: Plastic pollution is the accumulation of waste composed of plastic and its derivatives all over the environment. Whether in the form of visible garbage or microparticles, as it slowly degrades, plastic pollution poses significant threats to terrestrial and aquatic habitats and the wildlife that call them home, whether through ingestion, entanglement or exposure to the chemicals contained in the material. Unfortunately, there is a lack of documentation on the impact of plastic waste on human health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: We searched five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL and Web of Science) and gray literature, following the preferred reporting elements for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA), for the impact of plastic waste on human health in developing countries. We included quantitative and qualitative studies written in English and French. We assessed the quality of the included articles using the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool (MMAT). Results: A total of 3779 articles were initially identified by searching electronic databases. After eliminating duplicates, 3167 articles were reviewed based on title and abstract, and 26 were selected for full-text review. Only three articles were retained. The three articles dealt with practices likely to lead to oral exposure to plastic chemicals in human health, as well as the level of awareness of participants concerning the possible impact of plastic on human health, namely, the use of plastic baby bottles, the use of microwaves to cook food and reheat precooked food, the use of plastic bottles to store water in the refrigerator, water purifier containers with plastic bodies and plastic lunch boxes, the reuse of plastic bags and the inadequacy of treatment facilities. Conclusion: Plastic waste poses different risks to human health at every stage of its life cycle. Hence, strategies must be adopted to raise public awareness of the dangers of plastic waste to their health. Trial registration: The review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (ID = CRD42023409087).

Co-pyrolysis characteristics of typical components of waste plastics in a falling film pyrolysis reactor

Waste plastics mainly come from MSW and usually exist in the form of mixed plastics. During the co-pyrolysis process of mixed plastics, various plastic components have different physicochemical properties and reaction mechanisms. Considering the high viscosity and low thermal conductivity of molten plastics, a falling film pyrolysis reactor was selected to explore the rapid co-pyrolysis process of typical plastic components(PP, PE and PS).The oil and gas yields and the compositions of pyrolysis products of the three components under different ratios at pyrolysis temperatures were analyzed to explore the co-pyrolysis characteristics of PP, PE, and PS. The study is of great significance to the recycling of waste plastics.

Looking for a Chinese solution to global problems:The situation and countermeasures of marine plastic waste and microplastics pollution governance system in China

As one of the top ten environmental problems to be solved in the world,marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution seriously affect the health of marine ecosystems and the sustainable development of Marine economies.It is necessary to promote the establishment of a scientific and systematic Marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system and take strong measures to fundamentally curb and reverse the trend of marine pollution intensification in China.This paper first explains the practical significance of marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control from three aspects:the sustainable development of the blue economy,the structural upgrading of the pan-plastic industry,and the improvement of public health awareness.Secondly,the particularity of marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system is summarized from three aspects of formation mechanism,migration path and damage performance.Then,it identifies domestic and international governance strategies and action plans from the perspectives of mechanism,subject,object,and measures,summarizes existing problems in the existing marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system,and gives directions for future improvement.Finally,some countermeasures and suggestions are put forward to accelerate the construction of China’s marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system,including the formation of a cross sectoral integrated land and sea control system,a full life cycle waste management process,a multi-participation model for marine ecological and environmental governance,and a global marine pollution prevention and control system.

Disposal of Waste Plastics With Traditional Coking Process

A new technology for treating waste plastics （WP） by traditional coking process was introduced. With a thermo-balance and a 10 g atmospheric fixed bed reactor, the thermo-gravimetric behavior and product were studied during co-coking of WP with blended coal. And then, using a coke-oven with capacity of 200 kg, the characteristics of products were assessed. The results showed that there is an overlapping temperature range （200-550℃ ） of decomposition between WP and blended coal, and the pyrolysis synergism index η and synergism strength β proposed could evaluate the synergism between them. 1% of added WP results in the maximum synergism in all series experiments. The increase of added WP decreases the synergism. Tar yield in co-coking is increased with the decrease of water yield for synergism. Moreover, it was also found that the quality indexes of coke, such as M10, M40, CRI and CSR, are degraded with the increase of WP until 4%, though the quality of tar and gas is optimized for WP addition.

Experimental Investigation on Hydrophobic Behavior of Carbon Spheres Coated Surface Made from Microplastics

In this paper,a simple method to plate a hydrophobic coating on the inner surface of a small-scaled tube was proposed,where the coating consisted of carbon microspheres.Three common plastics polystyrene,polycarbonate and polyethylene were used as the feedstocks to be processed in supercritical water in a quartz tubular reactor.After reaction,the contact angle of droplet on the inner surface of the quartz tube was turned out to be over 100°,significantly larger than that of the blank tube 54°.When processing polystyrene in the 750℃ supercritical water for 10 min,the largest contact angle was obtained,up to 145°.Besides,in this sample,the size of carbon spheres was smallest,about 2.09μm diameter on average.When comparing among different types of plastics under the same condition,the contact angle of surface made from PC took the dominant position over that of PS and PE,124°,100°and 90°,respectively.In the sample made from PC,carbon spheres adhered into a mountainlike shape,producing a binary geometric structure.Furthermore,this research could be helpful in the discussion of plastic waste management and carbon spheres fabrication with low cost.

Co-processing Vacuum Residue with Waste Plastics in a Delayed Coking Process:Kinetics and Modeling

Thermal upgrading of vacuum residue mixed with waste plastics was studied in a laboratory scale delayed coking unit.The model of feed thermal decomposition was set up and the first order reaction kinetics was used to predict products distribution during the coking process.The distillate yield was higher(70%) for the vacuum residue/polystyrene(VR/PS) feed system and the vacuum residue/low density polyethylene(VR/LDPE) feed system.The resulted distillate yield was separated into fractions according to their boiling points,with gasoline and diesel being our fractions of concern.The activation energy was higher for gasoline production(around 60 kcal/mol) varying with the type of feed system,while it was 33 kcal/mol for diesel fraction.The regression coefficient R was 0.990.

New Renewable Source of Energy from Municipal Solid Waste Plastics

The use of renewable energy is not new. More than 150 years ago, wood, which is one form of biomass, supplied up to 90 percent of our energy needs. Today, we are looking again at renewable resources to find new ways to use them to help meet our energy needs. Overall consumption from renewable sources in the United States totaled 6.8 quads BTU （quadrillion Btu） in 2007 or about 7 percent of all energy used nationally. Consumption from renewable sources was at its highest point in 1997, at about 7.2 quads. Over half of renewable energy goes to producing electricity. Renewable energy plays an important role in the supply of energy. Even with the current fluctuating prices for fuel, U.S. residents and businesses pay a significant price for their utilities. Emissions from the evaporation and combustion of these traditional fossil fuels contributing to a range of environmental and health problems, causing poor air quality, and emitting greenhouse gases caused global warming. The method of producing alternative energy from municipal solid waste plastic is considered an effective way to meet the demand of energy need and save the environment at the same time.

Alternative Fuels Derived from Solid Waste Plastics

The demand for fossil fuel is at an all time high worldwide. Annually-30 billion barrels of petroleum is being consumed worldwide. In this busy society, transportation is vital and, for transportation, petroleum is a requirement. All the major forms of business, agricultural, exports and imports depend on transportation. There are three forms of major transportation： by ground, air and sea. These transportations require petroleum to function. Vehicles in the road require gasoline/diesel, airway transportation requires aviation fuel and sea transportation requires fuel oil and other forms of fuels. For not only transportation but, petroleum is required to make all kind of daily use plastics. If the consumption of petroleum continues this way, it will be finished in the near future. Emissions released from evaporation and combustion of these fuel contribute to many environmental and health problems, including emitting greenhouse gases that contribute immensely to global warming. Annually-7 billion tons of carbon is released to the environment due to burning of petroleum. Moreover, when the plastics are discarded into the landfill, it becomes waste plastic and since plastic is non-biodegradable, it can remain in the landfill for a long time. Waste plastics presence in the landfill causes environmental problems for example, it can cause soil to decay, pollute underground water resource and cause land to be infertile. Alternative source of energy created from solar, wind, hydrogen fuel, biomass fuel, bio-diesel, green diesel, bio-ethanol, and geo-thermal has been proposed as a solution to these problems and in future with further research, these alternative sources will play an important role in the field of alternative energy.

Generation of Transportation Fuel from Solid Municipal Waste Plastics

Transportation fuels derived from imported fossil fuels are subjected to the price fluctuations of the global marketplace, and constitute a major expense in the operation of a vehicle. Emissions from the evaporation and combustion of these fuels contribute to a range of environmental and health problems, causing poor air quality and emitting greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Alternative fuel created from domestic sources has been proposed as a solution to these problems, and many fuels are being developed based on biomass and other renewable sources. Natural State Research, Inc. proposes a different alternative hydrocarbon fuel which is produced from abundant waste plastic materials. This fuel burns more efficiently and cleaner than commercial gasoline and diesel. The process exists to efficiently convert waste plastic into a reliable low cost source of fuel.

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Thermal and Catalytic Pyrolysis Plants for the Conversion of Heterogeneous Waste Plastics to Liquid Fuels in Nigeria

Techno-economic potentials of thermal and catalytic pyrolysis plants for the conversion of waste plastics to liquid fuels have been widely studied, but it is not obvious which of the two plants is more profitable, as the existing studies used different assumptions and cost bases in their analyses, thereby making it difficult to compare the economic potentials of the two plants. In this study, industrial-scale thermal and catalytic waste plastics pyrolysis plants were designed and economically analyzed using ASPEN PLUS. Amorphous silica-alumina was considered the optimum catalyst, with 3:1 feed to catalyst ratio. Based on 20,000 tons/year of feed and 20% interest rate, the catalytic plant, having a net present value (NPV) of &#83582208 million, was found to be economically less attractive than the thermal plant, having the NPV of &#83582426.4 million. On the contrary, sensitivity analyses of the two plants at a feed rate of 50,000 tons/year gave rise to a slightly higher NPV for the catalytic plant (&#83589861 million) than the thermal plant having NPV of &#83589838 million, thereby making the former more economically attractive for processing large amounts of waste plastics into liquid fuels. Consequently, as the catalytic plant showed a better scale economy and would produce higher quality liquid fuels than the thermal plant, it is recommended for commercialization in Nigeria.

Municipal Waste Plastics Conversion into Aviation Fuel

Aviation fuel is in great demand globally. The increased demand and high price for energy sources are driving efforts to convert natural non-renewable organic compounds into useful hydrocarbon fuel materials such as in form of aviation fuel. Alternate sources to these non-renewable hydrocarbon fuels are important and necessary. Much of these alternative sources are focused on biomass however, there are strong benefits of deriving fuels from waste plastic materials. Thermal processes can be used to convert waste plastics into hydrocarbon fuels like aviation fuel, which have unlimited applications in airline industries, as well as in transportation and power generation industries. These thermal processes are used to break down the long carbon chains found in plastics into the shorter chains in a temperature range from 300-450 ℃. This method has been carried out in succession in previous experiments. This simple and economically viable process has been developed to convert the hydrocarbon polymers of waste plastics into the short and medium chain hydrocarbons of liquid fuels. Based on the initial characterization, a fractionated portion of the developed fuel shows properties similar to some of the commercially available aviation fuels.