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Gritsch L, Breslmayer G, Rainer R, Stipanovic H, Tischberger-Aldrian A, Lederer J. Critical properties of plastic packaging waste for recycling: A case study on non-beverage plastic bottles in an urban MSW system in Austria. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 185:10-24. [PMID: 38815530 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The low recycling rate of post-consumer plastic packaging waste (PPW), which is partly due to insufficient separate collection, heterogeneous composition and high levels of contamination, poses a challenge in Austria, where the recycling rate must double in order to meet the target of 55 %. This study analyzes key packaging characteristics of non-beverage plastic bottles influencing recyclability, using Vienna as a case study. Additionally, a net quantity indicator and separate collection rates were calculated. 738 bottles from mixed MSW and 1,159 bottles from separate PPW collection were analyzed. The main polymer's proportion described by the net quantity indicator was higher for bottles from separate collection (69-72 %) than from mixed MSW (58 %), showing that a large share of the foreign materials are residues and dirt, with significantly higher contents in mixed MSW (20 %) than in separate collection (11 %). With a separate collection rate of 19.2 %, the great potential for recycling currently lies in mixed MSW at 4,112 t/yr. Thereof, 46 % is uncolored, 54 % is colored/white and, in terms of material grade, 30 % is food grade. The most common filling volume for PET, PP and HDPE was 0.5 < x ≤ 1.5 L (23-59 %) and the most common decoration technology was label (60-85 %). PET and PP had the highest shares of food-grade bottles (37-46 %), while PP had the highest share of colored bottles (22-31 %). The mechanical recycling potential of bottles depends largely on packaging characteristics, influencing separate collection and also automatic sorting. Harmonized design specifications are therefore crucial for this heterogeneous PPW fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Gritsch
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for a Recycling-based Circular Economy, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Austria.
| | - Gisela Breslmayer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for a Recycling-based Circular Economy, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Austria
| | - Ricarda Rainer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for a Recycling-based Circular Economy, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Austria
| | - Hana Stipanovic
- Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Austria
| | | | - Jakob Lederer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for a Recycling-based Circular Economy, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Austria
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Keith M, Koller M, Lackner M. Carbon Recycling of High Value Bioplastics: A Route to a Zero-Waste Future. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1621. [PMID: 38931972 PMCID: PMC11207349 DOI: 10.3390/polym16121621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Today, 98% of all plastics are fossil-based and non-biodegradable, and globally, only 9% are recycled. Microplastic and nanoplastic pollution is just beginning to be understood. As the global demand for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics continues to rise, biobased and biodegradable plastics have emerged as a promising solution. This review article delves into the pivotal concept of carbon recycling as a pathway towards achieving a zero-waste future through the production and utilization of high-value bioplastics. The review comprehensively explores the current state of bioplastics (biobased and/or biodegradable materials), emphasizing the importance of carbon-neutral and circular approaches in their lifecycle. Today, bioplastics are chiefly used in low-value applications, such as packaging and single-use items. This article sheds light on value-added applications, like longer-lasting components and products, and demanding properties, for which bioplastics are increasingly being deployed. Based on the waste hierarchy paradigm-reduce, reuse, recycle-different use cases and end-of-life scenarios for materials will be described, including technological options for recycling, from mechanical to chemical methods. A special emphasis on common bioplastics-TPS, PLA, PHAs-as well as a discussion of composites, is provided. While it is acknowledged that the current plastics (waste) crisis stems largely from mismanagement, it needs to be stated that a radical solution must come from the core material side, including the intrinsic properties of the polymers and their formulations. The manner in which the cascaded use of bioplastics, labeling, legislation, recycling technologies, and consumer awareness can contribute to a zero-waste future for plastics is the core topics of this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Keith
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK;
| | - Martin Koller
- Institute of Chemistry, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria;
| | - Maximilian Lackner
- Go!PHA, Oudebrugsteeg 9, 1012 JN Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Hoechstaedtplatz 6, 1200 Vienna, Austria
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Wei SY, Wang CY, Guo C, Zhu YN, Cao XW, Kuang QL, He GJ. Oxidization and Chain-Branching Reaction for Recycling HDPE and Mixed HDPE/PP with In-situ Compatibilization by Ozone-Induced Reactive Extrusion. CHEMSUSCHEM 2024; 17:e202301035. [PMID: 37724860 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) are widely used in industrial and residential applications due to their low cost and chemical stability, thus their recycling process can contribute to a circular economy. However, both polymers are non-polar materials, and the incompatibility with most other materials leads to substantially inferior properties of blends. In this work, we propose a flexible compatibilization strategy to improve the compatibility of HDPE/iPP blends. Ozone is adopted to induce reactive extrusion for rapid oxidation of HDPE and chain-branching reactions for both HDPE and HDPE/iPP blends. During extrusion process, ozone oxidizes HDPE effectively in a short time and introduces oxygen-containing groups such as carbonyl and ester groups, which improves the hydrophilicity. The addition of trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) could promote branching reaction and facilitate the formation of HDPE-g-iPP copolymers, which improved the compatibility for HDPE/iPP. As a result, the impact strength of ozone-modified HDPE and HDPE/iPP blends increased by 22 % and 82 %, respectively, and the tensile strength also increased. This strategy would have potential applications in the field of sorting-free and solvent-free recycling of waste polyolefin plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Yi Wei
- National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Chun-Yan Wang
- National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Chao Guo
- National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Ya-Nan Zhu
- National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Xian-Wu Cao
- National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | | | - Guang-Jian He
- National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Technique and Equipment for Macromolecular Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
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Ben Amor I, Klinkova O, Baklouti M, Elleuch R, Tawfiq I. Mechanical Recycling and Its Effects on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polyamides. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:4561. [PMID: 38231968 PMCID: PMC10708457 DOI: 10.3390/polym15234561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of mechanical recycling on the physical and mechanical properties of recycled polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyamide 66 (PA66) in relation to their microstructures. Both PA6 and PA66 raw materials were reprocessed six times, and the changes in their properties were investigated as a function of recycling number. Until the sixth round of recycling, slight changes in the mechanical properties were detected, except for the percentage of elongation. For the physical properties, the change in both flexural strength and Young's modulus followed a decreasing trend, while the trend in terms of elongation showed an increase. Microscopic analysis was performed on virgin and recycled specimens, showing that imperfections in the crystalline regions of polyamide 6 increased as the number of cycles increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichrak Ben Amor
- Laboratoire QUARTZ EA7393, ISAE-Supméca Institut Supérieur de Mécanique de Paris, 93400 Saint-Ouen, France; (I.B.A.); (I.T.)
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques (LASEM), Ecole Nationale d’ingénieurs de Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia; (M.B.); (R.E.)
| | - Olga Klinkova
- Laboratoire QUARTZ EA7393, ISAE-Supméca Institut Supérieur de Mécanique de Paris, 93400 Saint-Ouen, France; (I.B.A.); (I.T.)
| | - Mouna Baklouti
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques (LASEM), Ecole Nationale d’ingénieurs de Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia; (M.B.); (R.E.)
- Faculté des Sciences de Gafsa, Université de Gafsa, Gafsa 2112, Tunisia
| | - Riadh Elleuch
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Electromécaniques (LASEM), Ecole Nationale d’ingénieurs de Sfax, Sfax 3038, Tunisia; (M.B.); (R.E.)
| | - Imad Tawfiq
- Laboratoire QUARTZ EA7393, ISAE-Supméca Institut Supérieur de Mécanique de Paris, 93400 Saint-Ouen, France; (I.B.A.); (I.T.)
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Zhuo Y, He J, Li W, Deng J, Lin Q. A review on takeaway packaging waste: Types, ecological impact, and disposal route. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 337:122518. [PMID: 37678737 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Rapid economic growth and urbanization have led to significant changes in the world's consumption patterns. Accelerated urbanization, the spread of the mobile Internet, and the increasing pace of work globally have all contributed to the demand for the food takeaway industry. The rapid development of the takeaway industry inevitably brings convenience to life, and with it comes great environmental pressure from waste packaging materials. While maintaining the convenience of people's lives, further reducing the environmental pollution caused by takeaway packaging materials and promoting the recycling and reuse of takeaway packaging waste need to attract the attention and concern of the whole society. This review systematically and comprehensively introduces common takeaway food types and commonly used packaging materials, analyzes the impacts of discarded takeaway packaging materials on human health and the ecological environment, summarizes the formulation and implementation of relevant policies and regulations, proposes treatment methods and resourceful reuse pathways for discarded takeaway packaging, and also provides an outlook on the development of green takeaway packaging. Currently, only 20% of waste packaging materials are recycled worldwide, and there is still a need to develop more green takeaway packaging materials and continuously improve relevant policies and regulations to promote the sustainable development of the takeaway industry. The review is conducive to further optimizing the takeaway packaging management system, alleviating the environmental pollution problem, and providing feasible solutions and technical guidance for further optimizing takeaway food packaging materials and comprehensive utilization of resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhuo
- National Engineering Research Center of Rice and Byproduct Deep Processing, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Edible forestry Resources Safety and Processing Utilization, College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - JinTao He
- National Engineering Research Center of Rice and Byproduct Deep Processing, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Edible forestry Resources Safety and Processing Utilization, College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Wen Li
- National Engineering Research Center of Rice and Byproduct Deep Processing, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Edible forestry Resources Safety and Processing Utilization, College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China; Hunan Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Seasonings Green Manufacturing, Changsha, 410004, China; College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics/Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Grain Circulation and Safety, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Jing Deng
- National Engineering Research Center of Rice and Byproduct Deep Processing, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Edible forestry Resources Safety and Processing Utilization, College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China
| | - QinLu Lin
- National Engineering Research Center of Rice and Byproduct Deep Processing, Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Edible forestry Resources Safety and Processing Utilization, College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China; Hunan Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Seasonings Green Manufacturing, Changsha, 410004, China; College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics/Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Grain Circulation and Safety, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
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Hasanzadeh R, Abdalrahman RM. A Regression Analysis on Steam Gasification of Polyvinyl Chloride Waste for an Efficient and Environmentally Sustainable Process. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:2767. [PMID: 37447412 DOI: 10.3390/polym15132767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last few years, researchers have shown a growing interest in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gasification and have conducted several studies to evaluate and enhance the process. These studies have recognized that processing parameters have a crucial impact on the assessment of PVC gasification. Despite this, there has been limited exploration of the use of machine learning techniques, particularly regression models, to optimize PVC waste gasification. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of regression models as machine learning algorithms in predicting the performance of PVC waste gasification. The study uses data collected through a validated thermodynamic model, and three different regression models are tested and compared in detail. Cold gas efficiency and normalized carbon dioxide emission are predicted using linear, quadratic, and quadratic with interaction algorithms. The outcomes for emission algorithms reveal that the linear emission algorithm possesses a high R-square value of 97.49%, which indicates its strong predictive capability. Nevertheless, the quadratic algorithm outperforms it, exhibiting an R-square value of 99.81%. The quadratic algorithm with an interaction term, however, proves to be the best among them all, displaying a perfect R-square value of 99.90%. A similar observation is detected for the cold gas efficiency algorithms. These findings suggest that the quadratic algorithm with an interaction term is superior and has a greater predictive accuracy. This research is expected to provide valuable insight into how regression algorithms can be used to maximize the efficiency of PVC waste gasification and reduce its associated environmental concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rezgar Hasanzadeh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia 5756151818, Iran
| | - Rzgar M Abdalrahman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering/Production, College of Engineering, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaimani 70-236, Kurdistan, Iraq
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