Purdue University and Universidad Tecnológica de Querétaro research team aim to develop a simple, relatively cheap way to turn used plastic bags into an energy-storing carbon. The findings of the study are published in the American Chemical Society.
Converting plastic bags into carbon chips that could be used in batteries can offer a way to put used and discarded plastic bags to good use.
Top 7 Eco-friendly Substitutes for Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are silently killing our planet. Finding eco-friendly substitutes to plastic bags can be the best solution to keep our environment clean and green. So, just say 'No' to plastic bags and grab these 7 eco-friendly bags to get rid of plastic pollution.
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‘Plastic bags may someday be powering your smartphone. Researchers develop a simpler yet effective way to convert plastic waste into beneficial carbon-containing materials which can be used to create battery parts.’
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Plastic pollution has become a huge environmental issue, prompting a few cities and countries to tax or ban the sacks heavily. These plastic bags end up in landfills, oceans after a one-time use, where they take hundreds of years to decompose, and as it gradually degrades with sunlight, it releases poisonous chemicals into the environment.
Although it has been acknowledged for a while that polyethylene present in plastic bags could be converted into energy-storing carbon, previous techniques to "upcycle" polyethylene into pure carbon have been complex and expensive processes.
![Use Plastic Responsibly - Save the Earth from Microplastic Contamination]( "Use Plastic Responsibly - Save the Earth from Microplastic Contamination")
Formation of microplastic due to plastic degradation poses a huge threat to humans and the environment. Recently, new methods have been developed to identify and quantify microplastic to better understand their effects.
The research team wanted to develop a simpler yet effective way to convert plastic waste into beneficial carbon-containing materials.
In the new inexpensive method, the researchers submerged polyethylene plastic bags in sulphuric acid and sealed them inside a special reactor, which heated the sample to just below polyethylene's melting temperature.
This enabled the plastic to be heated to a much higher temperature without vaporizing into toxic gases. After that, they removed the treated polyethylene from the solvothermal reactor and heated it in a furnace to generate pure carbon. The last step was to ground the carbon into a black powder which can be used to make anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
The resulting batteries were utilized to power a toy truck, and the batteries worked comparably to commercial batteries, according to the researchers.
Source: Medindia
Use Plastic Responsibly - Save the Earth from Microplastic Contamination
Formation of microplastic due to plastic degradation poses a huge threat to humans and the environment. Recently, new methods have been developed to identify and quantify microplastic to better understand their effects.
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The research team wanted to develop a simpler yet effective way to convert plastic waste into beneficial carbon-containing materials.
In the new inexpensive method, the researchers submerged polyethylene plastic bags in sulphuric acid and sealed them inside a special reactor, which heated the sample to just below polyethylene's melting temperature.
This enabled the plastic to be heated to a much higher temperature without vaporizing into toxic gases. After that, they removed the treated polyethylene from the solvothermal reactor and heated it in a furnace to generate pure carbon. The last step was to ground the carbon into a black powder which can be used to make anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
The resulting batteries were utilized to power a toy truck, and the batteries worked comparably to commercial batteries, according to the researchers.
Source: Medindia
Plastic Blends That can be Biodegraded Locally Coming Soon
Biodegradable plastic blends have been shown to decompose under various conditions like home-composting and anerobic conditions offering new options for their disposal.
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World Environment Day
World Environment Day (WED) is observed annually on 5th June by the United Nations. The main aim of the campaign is to create awareness of the environment and specific environmental issues. The theme for this year 2018 is Beat Plastic Pollution.
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