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.

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.

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.

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.

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）.

ENHANCEMENT OF RESISTANCE TO OXIDATIVE DEGRADATION OF NATURAL RUBBER THROUGH LATEX DEGRADATION

A fully characterised natural rubber latex was subjected to mechanical degradation by stirring at intervals. The resistance to oxidative degradation of the different samples were studied by measuring the Plasticity retention indices (PRI). The results show that there is an enhancement of the PRI from 57% for the undegraded rubber to 79% for the one-hour degraded sample. Further degradation resulted in decrease of PRI as time of degradation increased. Therefore, the one-hour degraded sample is a special rubber with high oxidation resistance which is of great importance in engineering. (Author abstract) 9 Refs.

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.

De-polymerization of Waste Polymers to Produce Hydrocarbon Fuel Utilizing Thermal Degradation

Waste plastics are one of the biggest environmental concerns the world faces today. Waste plastics exposure to the environment is very hazardous. Over time waste plastics photo-degrade and become very tiny dust particles. These dust particles contain very harmful compounds including benzene, sulfur, carbon and many others. According to studies, waste plastic pollutions are one of the biggest reasons for the depletion of the ozone layer and contributor of global warming. Many scientists have been trying to figure out how to utilize these waste plastics and convert them into useful energy sources. It is possible to convert waste plastics into energy because they are made from petroleum. Scientists have succeeded in developing many methods including pyrolysis, catalytic cracking, thermal degrading and others. The purpose of this experiment is to convert these environmentally harmful waste materials into useful energy source using simple and viable methods. A particular thermal degradation process was successful in extracting fuel from waste plastics at 370-420 ~C. In this paper we will discuss our performed experiment and provide detailed analysis of the produced fuel. Thorough instrumental analysis of the produced fuel showed very considerable results including high energy contents, low levels of harmful emissions and compatibility with various types of existing appliances.

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.

可降解塑料包装袋土埋降解性能研究

目的塑料污染已成为全球环境污染的一个突出问题,对新型绿色生物可降解塑料的需求不断增加。为评估不同生物可降解材料在土壤环境中的降解性能,并探讨加速材料降解的主要因素。方法设计一系列土埋实验,模拟材料在自然环境中的土壤条件。实验使用淀粉+聚乙烯(PE)、聚乳酸(PLA)+聚己二酸-对苯二甲酸丁二酯(PBAT)+淀粉、聚对苯二甲酸丁二酯(PBT)+聚乳酸(PLA)+玉米基材以及高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)+细胞外基质(ECM)降解母料,并以聚乙烯(PE)作为对照组。通过改变埋土深度、土壤湿度和土壤pH值等实验条件,结合傅里叶红外光谱(FT-IR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、热力学分析等技术,探究不同材料的降解速率、降解性能差异以及材料分子结构可能的变化。结果研究表明,样品的结晶度显著影响其降解性能。尤其是PLA+PBAT+淀粉样品,由于分子间作用力增强和热触发运动性能的降低,在实验中表现出较低的最大失重速率和较高的失重峰温,表现出最高的热稳定性和最佳的降解性能。结论样品表现出良好的热稳定性和降解性,为生物可降解塑料的开发和应用提供了科学依据,有助于解决塑料污染问题。

生物酶基因改造促进环境友好型降解塑料循环利用的科学发展

生物酶基因改造促进环境友好型降解塑料循环利用的发展。本文深入研究了塑料降解生物酶的筛选和选择的科学发展;研究了塑料降解生物酶的基因改造技术的科学发展;研究了塑料降解酶合成生物学技术科学发展研究;分析了AI塑料降解生物酶技术的科学发展;分析了塑料降解生物酶在环境友好型降解塑料中应用的科学发展;阐述了新型塑料降解生物酶的开发与应用前景;论述了塑料降解生物酶基因改造促进环境友好型降解塑料循环利用发展趋势和研究方向。本文指出塑料降解生物酶的发展,不仅提升了酶在实际应用中的降解效率,而且推动了环境友好型降解塑料循环利用。

Thermal degradation and hydrolysis depolymerization of printing ink components for plastic packaging in recycling processes: a review

This review covers the decomposition mechanisms of various printing ink binder resins,with a particular focus on their behavior under extrusion conditions in the mechanical recycling process of polyolefin(PO)based plastic packaging.Thermal degradation and hydrolysis of the nitrocellulose(NC)-the most used binder for flexographic surface printing on single-layer flexible plastic packaging,occur concurrently during the mechanical recycling process under 160-210℃.For other printing ink binders,polyurethane(PU)noticeable degradation takes place between 200 and 300℃,mostly above 250℃.However,with the involvement of humidity,degradation by hydrolysis can start from 150℃.A similar effect is also discovered with the cellulose acetate(CA)derivatives,which are thermally stable until 300℃ and can be hydrolyzed at 100℃.The thermal stability of polyvinyl butyral(PVB)is not influenced by humidity,with thermal stability ranging from 170 to 260℃,depending on different types.Ultraviolet(UV)-cured acrylics are thermaliy stable until 400℃.The hydrolysis degradation can take place at room temperature.Moreover,this review covers the thermal stability of different colorants used for printing ink application and elaborates on several thermal-stable alternatives of some common colors.This study further reviews how the binder resin affects the quality of recyclates,revealing it to be not only induced by the degradation of the binder resin but also by the immiscibility between the plastic and binder resin.In advanced recycling processes,mainly selective dissolution-precipitation and pyrolysis,the presence of binder resin and its degradation products could stll affect the quality of the product.This review accentuates the imperative need for in-depth research to unravel the impact of printing ink constituents on the quality of recycled products.

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.

Assessment of plastic degradation by indigenous bacteria from waste disposal sites

The present study focuses on the isolation of bacterial pathogens from waste disposal sites,and examination of their efficiencies for degrading various plastics.Seven bacterial isolates such as E.coli,Corynebacterium spp.,Micrococcus spp.,Azotobacter spp.,Pseudomonas spp.,Staphylococcus spp.,and Bacillus spp.were identified.Bacillus spp.exhibited the highest percentage reduction in black plastic weight(47.46%),while Corynebacterium spp.,and E.coli achieved a maximum reduction of 45.76 and 46.42%for pink plastic respectively.Pseudomonas spp.and Micrococcus spp.demonstrated notable reductions of 46.43%and 56.60%in white and Canteen Stores Department(CSD)biodegradable plastics,respectively.Optical density(OD)measurements revealed that bacterial isolates achieved maximum OD values with CSD plastics,emphasizing their proficiency in plastic degradation.Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FTIR)confirmed the degradation process,with a decrease in the peak value from 2916 to 2914 cm^(-1) for pink plastic,signifying alkane,and alkene presence.Three new peaks at 1398,1371,and 1361 cm^(-1) in the FTIR spectrum of CSD plastic indicated presence of alcohol.Scanning Electron Microscopic(SEM)micrographs illustrated bacterial colonization,cracks,and spots on plastic surfaces,while Xray Diffraction(XRD)spectra showed peaks at 4.083,3.705,3.020,and 1.909,suggesting plastic degradation.In conclusion,soil of waste disposal site harbored diverse microbial species,and have highlighted their effectiveness in mitigating environmental pollution by degrading hazardous plastic waste.

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。

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。