Multi-Component Resource Recycling from Waste Light-Emitting Diode Under Hydrothermal Condition:Plastic Package Degradation,Speciation of Nano-TiO_(2),and Environmental Impact Assessment

Light emitting diodes(LEDs)have accounted for most of the lighting market as the technology matures and costs continue to reduce.As a new type of e-waste,LED is a double-edged sword,as it contains not only precious and rare metals but also organic packaging materials.In previous studies,LED recycling focused on recovering precious and strategic metals while ignoring harmful substances such as organic packaging materials.Unlike crushing and other traditional methods,hydrothermal treatment can provide an environment-friendly process for decomposing packaging materials.This work developed a closed reaction vessel,where the degradation rate of plastic polyphthalamide(PPA)was close to 100%,with nano-TiO_(2)encapsulated in plastic PPA being efficiently recovered,while metals contained in LED were also recycled efficiently.Besides,the role of water in plastic PPA degradation that has been overlooked in current studies was explored and speculated in detail in this work.Environmental impact assessment revealed that the proposed recycling route for waste LED could significantly reduce the overall environmental impact compared to the currently published processes.Especially the developed method could reduce more than half the impact of global warming.Furthermore,this research provides a theoretical basis and a promising method for recycling other plastic-packaged e-waste devices,such as integrated circuits.

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.

Degradable Plastics Are Vulnerable to Cracks

A plastic may degrade in response to a trigger.The kinetics of degradation have long been characterized by the loss of weight and strength over time.These methods of gross characterization,however,are misleading when plastic degrades heterogeneously.Here,we study heterogeneous degradation in an extreme form:the growth of a crack under the combined action of chemistry and mechanics.An applied load opens the crack,exposes the crack front to chemical attack,and causes the crack to outrun gross degradation.We studied the crack growth in polylactic acid(PLA),a polyester in which ester bonds break by hydrolysis.We cut a crack in a PLA film using scissors,tore it using an apparatus,and recorded the crack growth using a camera through a microscope.In our testing range,the crack velocity was insensitive to load but was sensitive to humidity and pH.These findings will aid the development of degradable plastics for healthcare and sustainability.

Photolytic Model of Six Degradable Mulch Plastic Films

[Objective] This study aimed to solve the mulch plastic film pollution problems in Xinjiang, in order to provide reliable theoretical basis for the research on the degradation mechanism of biodegradable plastic films. [Method] The effect of illumination intensity on the decomposition of decomposable mulching films was investigated through simulating the field condition in laboratory. Regression analysis was employed to fit the processes of film decompositions. [Result] The weight loss ratios of different types of plastic films were closely related with the illumination. There was no sundry produced during the degradation process, but the weight was reduced, indicating that degradation produced gas, thus, ultraviolet rays had destructive effect on mulch plastic films. Different types of plastic films showed significant differences in the degradation speeds, and under the same conditions, the degradation speed of S4# with the induction period of 30 d was the fastest. With the extension of uv illumination time, the degradation became cumulative degradation process. [Conclusion] Under the uv rays, the weight loss ratio and illumination hours is regarded as a positive correlation relationship. The significant inspection shows that the data fitted degradation model can be described by the logistic model of Y = a/（1＋b×e -ct）, and all the parameters show significant differences （P0.01）.

Fully Bio-Based Composites of Poly(Lactic Acid)Reinforced with Cellulose-Graft-Poly-(ε-Caprolactone)Copolymers

Due to the increasing demand for modified polylactide(PLA)meeting“double green”criteria,the research on sustainable plasticizers for PLA has attracted broad attentions.This study reported an open-ring polymerization method to fabricate cellulose(MCC)-g-PCL(poly(ε-caprolactone))copolymers with a fully sustainable and biodegradable component.MCC-g-PCL copolymers were synthesized,characterized,and used as green plasticizers for the PLA toughening.The results indicated that the MCC-g-PCL derivatives play an important role in the compatibility,crystallization,and toughening of the PLA/MCC-g-PCL composites.The mechanical properties of the fully bio-based PLA/MCC-g-PCL composites were optimized by adding 15 wt%MCC-g-PCL,that is,the elongation at break was 22.6%(~376%higher than that of neat PLA),the tensile strength was 47.3 MPa(comparable to that of neat PLA),and the impact strength was 26 J/m(~130%higher than that of neat PLA).DSC results indicated that MCC-g-PCL reduced the Tg of the PLA blend.When the addition amount was 15 wt%,the Tg of the blend was 58.4°C.Compared with MCC,MCC-g-PCL polyester plasticizer has better thermal stability,T5%(°C)can still be maintained above 300°C.The rheological results showed that MCC-g-PCL acted as a plasticizer,the introduction of PCL flexible chain increased the mobility of PLA molecular chain,and decreased the complex viscosity,storage modulus and loss modulus of PLA blends.The MCC-g-PCL derivatives,as a new green plastic additive,have shown an interesting prospect to prepare fully bio-based composites.

Gastric carboxylesterases of the edible crab Cancer pagurus (Crustacea, Decapoda) can hydrolyze biodegradable plastics

A promising strategy to counteract the progressing plastic pollution of the environment can involve the replacement of persistent plastics with biodegradable materials.Biodegradable polymers are enzymatically degradable by various hydrolytic enzymes.However,these materials can reach the environment in the same way as conventional plastics.Therefore,they are accessible to terrestrial,freshwater,and marine biota.Once ingested by marine organisms,highly active enzymes in their digestive tracts may break down biodegradable compounds.We incubated microparticles of five different biodegradable plastics,based on polylactictic acid(PLA),polybutylene succinate(PBS),polybutylene adipate terephthalate(PBAT)and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate(PHBV),in-vitro with the gastric fluid of the edible crab Cancer pagurus and evaluated the hydrolysis rates by pH Stat titration.A plastic blend of PLA with PBAT showed the highest hydrolysis rate.The enzymes in the gastric fluid of crabs were separated by anion exchange chromatography.Fractions with carboxylesterase activity were identified using fluorescent methylumbelliferyl(MUF)-derivatives.Pooled fractions with high carboxylesterase activity also hydrolyzed a PLA/PBAT plastic blend.Carboxylesterases showed molecular masses of 40–45 kDa as determined by native gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE).Our study demonstrated that digestive carboxylesterases in the gastric fluid of C.pagurus exhibit a high potential for hydrolyzing certain biodegradable plastics.Since esterases are common in the digestive tract of organisms,it seems likely that other invertebrates possess the ability to hydrolyze biodegradable plastics.

Synthesis and Characterization of Phenyl Camellia oleifera Seed Oil Ester Plasticizing PVC

Plasticizers are essential additives in the processing of polyvinyl chloride(PVC),with phthalate plasticizers being widely used.However,these conventional plasticizers have been shown to be harmful to human health and environmentally unfriendly,necessitating the exploration of eco-friendly bio-based alternatives.In this study,Camellia oleifera seed oil,a specialty resource in China,was utilized as a raw material and reacted with 4,4′-Methylenebis(N,N-diglycidylaniline)(AG-80)to synthesize Phenyl Camellia seed Oil Ester(PCSOE).PCSOE was employed as a plasticizer to prepare modified PVC films with varying concentrations,with the conventional plasticizer dioctyl phthalate(DOP)serving as a control.Experimental results demonstrate that PSCOE-plasticized PVC films exhibit enhanced hydrophilicity,tensile strength,and thermal stability compared to DOP-modified PVC films.The contact angle of PSCOE-plasticized PVC films ranges from 66.26°to 78.48°,which is generally lower than the contact angle of DOP-modified PVC films at 78.40°,indicating improved hydrophilicity due to the modification with PCSOE.The tensile strength of PSCOE-plasticized PVC films ranges from 17.73 to 20.17 MPa,all surpassing the value of 16.41 MPa for DOP-modified PVC films.Moreover,the temperatures corresponding to 5%,10%,and 50%weight loss for PVC samples modified with PCSOE are higher than those for DOP.Hence,PCSOE presents a viable alternative to DOP as a plasticizer for PVC materials.

Plasma-Induced Degradation of Polypropene Plastics in Natural Volatile Constituents of Ledum palustre Herb

Polypropene （PP） plastics can be effectively degraded by natural volatile con- stituents from Ledum palustre catalyzed by atmospheric air dielectric barrier （DBD） plasma. The electron spin resonance （ESR） result indicates that the volatile constituents produce radicals in aerobic condition energized by power sources such as light, UV, plasma and so on. The degradation is a novel chemically oxidative way and it is initiated by a series of radical reactions. Lots of active cud oxidative species, radicals, products cud high euergy electromagnetic field in plasma aggravate the degradation process. The results about PP maximum tensile strength （Crbmax） confirm this conclusion. PP plastic heavily loses its extensibility, mechanical integrity and strength in a short time after suffering a synergetic treatment of the herb extract and air DBD plasma with no toxic residues left. The components of herb extract keep almost unchanged and may be reused. This study offers a new approach to manage and recycle typical plastics.

Degradation of Oxo-Degradable-Polyethylene and Polylactic Acid Films Embodied in the Substrate of the Edible Fungus <i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i>

Degradable plastic mulch is being used to overcome the negative environmental impacts of burning and landfilling agricultural plastic waste. In this study P. ostreatus was used to model the capacity of a vegetal species to degrade conventional and degradable plastic films. Plastics studied were oxo-degradable polyethylene (OXO-PE), UV-irradiated oxo-degradable polyethylene (UV-OXO-PE), polylactic acid (PLA) and conventional polyethylene (C-PE). The cultivation of P. ostreatus resulted in a reduction in the median of weight (78.2% - 80.2%) and volume (56.1% - 60.1%) of the substrate (wheat straw). Degradation of the plastics embodied was evidenced by a reduction in the median of the elongation at break (OXO-PE 475% to 109%, UV-OXO-PE 23% to 8%, PLA 596% to 398% and C-PE 505% to 304%) and an increase in the median of the carbonyl index (OXO-PE 0.062 to 0.114, UV-OXO-PE 0.098 to 0.145 and PLA 0.024 to 0.034). The Kruskal-Wallis test found no statistical difference (p = 0.384) between the medians of the biological efficiency for substrates containing plastics and the substrate without plastic. In conclusion, plastics embodied in the substrates used for cultivation of P. ostreatus are degraded and the degradation of these plastics does not affect the short term growth of P. ostreatus.

A New Kind of Renewable Energy: Production of Aromatic Hydrocarbons Naphtha Chemical by Thermal Degradation of Polystyrene (PS) Waste Plastic

Polystyrene (PS) waste plastic to renewable energy or naphtha grade fuel production through fractional distillation process was applied and PS liquefaction temperature range was 250?C - 430?C and fractional column temperature was 110?C - 135?C for naphtha grade fuel separation. The thermal degradation of PS waste plastic to renewable energy or naphtha grade chemical production was without adding any kind of cracking catalyst and without vacuum system. Polystyrene waste plastic is not bio-degradable and its can remain long period of landfill and creating gas emission for that reason its major cause climate change. For experimental purpose raw sample was use 1 kg of PS waste plastic and experiment was performed under Labconco fume hood and experiment was fully closed system, whole experiment was performed into stainless steel reactor. Produced fuel was analysis by gas chromatography and mass spectrometer, FT-IR and DSC. Analysis result indicate for fuel compounds chemical structure, compound band energy and enthalpy, delta H value. Produced fuel sulfur content less then environmental protection agency (EPA) level and fuel could be use for chemical feedstock refinery for further modification. By using this technology can reduce some foreign oil dependency and boost up renewable energy sector all over the world.

Plasticizing Effect of Camellia oleifera Seed-Oil-Based Plasticizer on PVC Material Modification

In this study,as the plasticizer,Camellia oleifera seed-oil-based cyclohexyl ester(COSOCE)was prepared by the reaction of cyclohexene oxide and refined C.oleifera seed oil(RCOSO)obtained by acidification hydrolysis after saponification.In addition,the structure of the target product was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy,nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectroscopy,and Raman spectroscopy.COSOCE was used as plasticizer-modified polyvinyl chloride(PVC)membranes.The structure of the COSOCE-modified PVC membranes were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The properties of the COSOCE-modified PVC membrane were characterized by contact angle measurements,universal testing machine,thermogravimetric analysis(TGA),and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).The results revealed that(1)The COSOCE-modified PVC membranes exhibit a good microscopic morphology.Combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS)and contact angle measurement results,the COSOCE-modified PVC membranes are confirmed to be a hydrophilic material.(2)The modified PVC membrane with 60%COSOCE exhibited the best mechanical properties.The tensile strength reached 23.56±2.94 MPa.(3)COSOCE-modified PVC material exhibited better thermal stability,with a loss rate of less than 75%at the end of the first decomposition stage.Compared with that of the dioctyl-phthalate(DOP)-modified PVC membrane,the initial decomposition temperature of PVC was increased by 1.17°C–8.17°C,and the residual rate was increased by 0.67%–5.75%.The carbon–carbon double bond in the COSOCE molecular structure can remove the free radicals generated during the degradation of PVC material and slow down the decomposition rate of PVC.In addition,the double bond can be cross-linked partially with the PVC molecular chain containing the conjugated polyene structure,thereby increasing the movement resistance of the PVC molecular chain segment.Hence,COSOCE can replace DOP as a PVC plasticizer.

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.

全生物降解地膜对湖南不同地区果蔬生长的影响

针对塑料地膜使用造成土壤环境污染的问题,研究以白色/黑色全生物降解地膜和普通塑料地膜为参试材料,在湖南省长沙市、沅江市、汉寿县等地区开展了西瓜、莴苣、秋葵等作物的覆膜试验,探究全生物降解地膜对不同作物的生长、品质、产量及土壤性质等指标的影响,观察全生物降解地膜的降解情况。结果发现,两种全生物降解地膜对湖南各地区果蔬生产均起到提质增效的作用。沅江地区黑色降解地膜覆盖栽培西瓜,西瓜单瓜重增加25.8%,叶片数增加45.5%,显著高于未覆膜处理;覆盖白色降解地膜的秋葵叶片长度比对照高42.1%,叶片宽度比对照高55.9%,叶片数增加43.2%,产量增加55.5%。普通塑料地膜在作物收获后未能降解,白色和黑色全生物降解地膜的降解率分别为80.3%~90.7%和63.0%~80.3%。综合不同地区的试验结果,认为两种降解地膜均可作为普通塑料地膜的潜在替代品,具有较大的推广前景。

昆虫及肠道微生物降解塑料的研究现状及机制分析

综述昆虫及肠道微生物降解塑料的研究现状及作用机制。根据目前的研究现状,考虑降解过程中多因素的影响,提出降解塑料的两种思路:思路一从现有能够降解塑料的昆虫中筛选降解率高的昆虫,从昆虫肠道分离可降解塑料的菌株,富集菌株,制作菌球,配合紫外线、pH、温度、机械粉碎、降解的基质等多因素和能够改变塑料疏水性的物质,提高塑料降解率;思路二利用NGS(Next Generation Sequencing,NGS)、气相色谱-质谱联用技术、凝胶渗透色谱仪等技术,结合蛋白质组学、代谢组学、转录组学等组学,研究昆虫及肠道微生物降解塑料的关键节点和蛋白质,降解时酶的触发机制,昆虫摄食塑料时内分泌调控机制,异源异属的微生物共协降解机制,为昆虫及肠道微生物降解塑料提供研究思路。

“双碳”目标下农业废弃物资源化实施新路径

“碳达峰”和“碳中和”是我国的重大国家战略,作为第一产业的农业在这一战略目标的实现过程中发挥着至关重要的作用。而农业领域“双碳”目标的推进中农业废弃物的资源化又是重要的一环。本文阐述了农业废弃物除传统的“五料化”利用技术之外的几种资源化新路径,包括将农业废弃物定向转化为高附加值化学品和液体燃料、农业废弃物制备生物炭及其他功能化碳材料、农业废弃物制备可燃气以及农业废弃物制备生物质基可降解塑料等,并简要提出了这些农业废弃物资源化新路径需要进一步提升的问题及在实施过程中如何实现最大程度的碳减排,从而最大程度地促进农业领域“双碳”战略目标的实现。

高性能高分子材料体系自立自强发展战略研究

高性能高分子材料具有高强高模、高绝缘、耐腐蚀、耐辐照或绿色低碳等特点,是保障国家安全和国民经济发展的战略性材料之一,广泛应用于航空航天、电子电器、生物医疗等重要领域。本文系统梳理了高性能树脂及工程塑料、有机纤维、生物基树脂及可降解材料、特种橡胶及弹性体四大类高性能高分子材料中的重点品种,分析了国内外重点品种的发展现状和特点。研究发现,目前我国在高性能高分子材料方面已建立起比较完备的化工原料–合成–加工改性–制品应用上下游产业体系,但同时也存在关键原料保障不足、产品应用开发有待拓展等问题。在此基础上,从加强技术创新、推进关键原料保障、组建创新联合体等方面提出对策建议,以期为我国高性能高分子材料体系发展提供参考。

红树林沉积物聚乙烯降解菌的筛选和降解特性

【目的】探究湛江市麻章区红树林沉积物中微生物对聚乙烯(PE)塑料的降解特性,丰富红树林塑料降解菌种类。【方法】在湛江市麻章区红树林的高、中、低潮带随机选取9个样点,并采用五点采样法从红树林表层2~5 cm的沉积物中取样。将采集到的沉积物样本在以聚乙烯为唯一碳源的无机盐培养基中进行富集、分离、纯化,以筛选出能够降解PE的菌株,并通过显微形态分析、分子鉴定等方法确定其种属;通过测定生长曲线、失重率、以及分析官能团变化来验证菌株对PE塑料的降解性能。【结果与结论】从沉积物中共筛选出K1-1、K1-2和K1-3三株PE降解能力较强的菌,分别为威尼斯不动杆菌(Acinetobacter venetianus)、Pseudomonas juntendi和维德曼芽孢杆菌(Bacillus wiedmannii)。在120 d的培养周期中,这些菌株的生长曲线均呈抛物线形态。经三株菌作用后,PE表面生成羟基,并形成氨基和羟基化合物,羟基取代羰基,导致PE表观和内部结构明显改变。经120 d处理后,PE膜的失重率分别为6.42%、5.38%和5.73%,其中K1-1菌株处理后PE塑料的失重率相较于目前报道的红树林沉积物中最高降解效率菌株Bacillus gottheilii处理后塑料的失重率提升3.55%。威尼斯不动杆菌(A.venetianus)在PE塑料降解上具有一定潜力,这丰富了湛江红树林沉积物中PE降解菌的种类,为PE塑料的生物降解提供理论支持。

基于PLC的可降解塑料片材成型自动化生产线设计

塑料片材是塑料制品中的重要组成部分,然而现有的塑料片材生产线自动化程度较低,原料主要成分为聚乙烯,难以降解。据此,采用一种新型的可降解塑料作为原料,但此原料是粉状料,无法适用于传统的粒状送料装置;由于其特点是通过挤出后离模发泡的方式成型为片材,并且原料对温度要求较高,传统挤出机无法使用此料生产。因而根据此原料特性和加工工艺设计由送料系统、挤出成型系统、牵引滚压系统、分切冲孔系统及夹取码垛系统组成的可降解塑料片材成型生产线,使用PLC和触摸屏对控制系统的硬软件进行设计。以平均生产节拍作为参考指标,此自动化产线生产效率提高了26.5%,为可降解塑料产品的规模应用提供了技术支撑。

生物基塑料包装需氧生物降解研究进展

综述了生物基塑料包装组分、应用现状及趋势,分析了微生物的需氧降解环境条件以及影响塑料生物降解性的因素,指出目前降解过程中的问题及不足,对未来可降解生物基材料的普遍应用作出展望性分析。