Combining Reclaimed PET with Bio-based Monomers Enables Plastics Upcycling

Rorrer, Nicholas A.; Nicholson, Scott; Carpenter, Alberta; Biddy, Mary J.; Grundl, Nicholas J.; Beckham, Gregg T.

doi:10.1016/j.joule.2019.01.018

Cited by 198 publications

(169 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…Another practical observation is the impact of layers [23]-multilayer plastic sheets have better mechanical properties, but thickness could impact PAR transmittance. Beyond the material properties, the selection of the greenhouse materials is influenced by the energy requirements of the plant [4,15], budget, photo-oxidation resistance, weather, design of the greenhouse (Quonset, arch-tunnel, even-span, and uneven span) [3,24,25] and environmental sustainability (recyclability) [6,7]. The shape of the greenhouse structure is critical because it determines aperture efficiency and radiant energy capture [26].…”

Section: Type Of Materials τPar ρPar αPar τNir ρNir αNirmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from the incorporation of the pigments, the performance of the greenhouse materials for greenhouses can be modified through the incorporation of the solar distillers [6] and organic PVs. Standard materials for solar cells are phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and are poly (3- Apart from acting as pigments for greenhouse cladding materials, TiO 2 nanoparticles have been used to develop nano-based coats for transparent solar distillers (TSD), which are multipurpose greenhouse cladding materials that are also used to harness solar energy to desalinate water [46].…”

Section: Distillersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distillersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the carbon emission, the recycling of paper, wood, glass, polyvinyl chloride, high-density polyethylene is less ecologically sustainable compared to the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate and low-density polyethylene. According to Rorrer and co-researchers [6], mechanical methods are ideal recycling methods for polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, ethyl vinyl acetate, and other polymer materials employed in the recycling of polymers. However, recycling methods do not yield virgin polymers due to the integration of plastic additives [12].…”

Section: Environmental Sustainability: Recycling Of Cladding Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These factors underscore the need for commercial farming in controlled environments such as greenhouses [3]. The ecological sustainability of greenhouse covering materials is considered in the context of energy sustainability [4,5], global production of PET [6], energy-efficient materials [7][8][9][10][11] and customized optical properties [12], and synthesis techniques [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Covering Materials

Maraveas

2019

Sustainability

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The fundamental objective of the review article was to explore the ecological sustainability of greenhouse covering material based on the following themes; considerations for greenhouse materials, properties of polymers and glass, additives, fillers, stabilizers and reinforcements, performance, Ultraviolet (UV) transmittance, phase change materials (PCMs), and environmental sustainability. A comparison of various polymers (polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic, D-polymer, Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polyolefins), and silica glasses illustrated that each type of greenhouse cladding material has its unique merits and limitations. The performance of silica glasses, PVC, polyolefins was influenced by weather, greenhouse design, plant under cultivation, percentage UV transmittance, incorporation of additives and stabilizers, reinforcements, and integration of photovoltaic panels into the greenhouse roof among other factors. Polymers can be customized to achieve 0%UV transmittance, slow-insecticide release, and anti-microbial properties. In contrast, glass materials are preferred based on suitable photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) transmittance and near-infrared (NIR) reflection and less risk of photo-oxidation. From an ecological perspective, polymers can be recycled via mechanical and chemical recycling, closed-loop cycling, and polymerization of bio-based feedstock. However, post-consumer plastic films do not possess the same optical and energy properties as virgin polymers. The combined benefits of different polymers suggest that these materials could be adopted on a large scale over the long-term.

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Section: Type Of Materials τPar ρPar αPar τNir ρNir αNirmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distillersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distillersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Sustainability: Recycling Of Cladding Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Covering Materials

Maraveas

2019

Sustainability

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Upcycling of Polyesters

et al. 2023

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Upcycling to Sustainably Reuse Plastics

et al. 2021

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The annual production is still growing and is expected to continue, meaning that it is imperative for us to plan for a future that will have even more plastics.Yet, the ubiquity of plastics has been recognized to be a double-edged sword. It was estimated that 8300 Mt of virgin plastics were produced between 1950 to 2015, but 6300 Mt of them had become plastic waste with 79% accumulated in landfills or the natural environment such as the waterways and the ocean. [1a] In 2015 alone, around 302 Mt or 74% of the annual production had become waste, with only 14% recycled, 14% combusted, and the remainder exposed to the environment (Table 1). [2] Over 8 Mt of plastics are believed to be added to the aquatic ecosystems every year since 2010, [3] with samples being discovered in some of the remotest marine ecosystems like the Mariana trench, including some dating as far back as 1957. [4] The increase in ocean plastics has been especially dramatic since the 1990s. [4a] Besides being potentially toxic by compromising the immune system in different organisms, plastics have also been found to disrupt global biogeochemical cycles such as nitrification and denitrification. [5] Furthermore, the enormous volumes of plastics being produced, converted, and disposed have been estimated to contribute almost 1800 Mt of CO 2 -equivalents (CO 2 e) in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2015, with the majority (61% or 1085 Mt) generated at the production stage, 30% or 535 Mt during conversion, and the remaining 9% or 161 Mt from the end of life disposal (Table 2). [6] Alarmingly, the current trajectory in growth of plastics consumption suggests that around 6500 Mt of CO 2 e in GHG emissions (15% of the global carbon budget) is expected by 2050. [6] In 2020, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, even more plastic wastes are being generated due to increases in the use of food and other packaging materials, as well as the proliferation of single use disposal face masks. This has resulted in a surge in criminal recycling scams where plastic wastes from Europe and North America are being illegally exported to Asian countries to artificially inflate the recycling rates in the countries of origin. [7] Patently, more sustainable approaches are needed to manage the entire life cycle of plastics from production to end of life.To manage the inexorable growth of plastics production and waste, one strategy can be to adopt a zero waste hierarchy that was proposed by the European Commission's Waste Plastics are now indispensable in daily lives. However, the pollution from plastics is also increasingly becoming a serious environmental issue. Recent years have seen more sustainable approaches and technologies, commonly known as upcycling, to transform plastics into value-added materials and chemical feedstocks. In this review, the latest research on upcycling is presented, with a greater focus on the use of renewable energy as well as the more selective methods to repurpose synthetic polymers. First, thermal upcycling approaches are briefly introduced, inc...

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Combining Reclaimed PET with Bio-based Monomers Enables Plastics Upcycling

Cited by 198 publications

References 98 publications

Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Covering Materials

Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Covering Materials

Upcycling of Polyesters

Upcycling to Sustainably Reuse Plastics

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