scholarly journals Pretreatment of Plastic Waste: Removal of Colorants from HDPE Using Biosolvents

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
Ana M. Ferreira ◽  
Isa Sucena ◽  
Vanessa Otero ◽  
Eva Mariasole Angelin ◽  
Maria João Melo ◽  
...  

Plastics recycling remains a challenge due to the relatively low quality of the recycled material, since most of the developed recycling processes cannot deal with the additives present in the plastic matrix, so the recycled products end up in lower-grade applications. The application of volatile organic solvents for additives removal is the preferred choice. In this study, pretreatment of plastic packaging waste to remove additives using biosolvents was investigated. The plastic waste used was high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with blue and orange colorants (pigment and/or dye). The first step was to identify the type of colorants present in the HDPE, and we found that both plastics presented only one colorant that was actually a pigment. Then, limonene, a renewable solvent, was used to solubilize HDPE. After HDPE dissolution, a wide range of alcohols (mono-, di-, and tri-alcohols) was evaluated as antisolvents in order to selectively precipitate the polymer and maximize its purity. The use of limonene as solvent for plastic dissolution, in combination with poly-alcohols with an intermediate alkyl chain length and a large number of hydroxyl (OH) groups, was found to work best as an antisolvent (1,2,3-propanetriol and 1,2,4-butanetriol), leading to a removal of up to 94% and 100% of the blue and orange pigments, respectively. Finally, three cycles of extraction were carried out, proving the capability of the solvent and antisolvent to be recovered and reused, ensuring the economic viability and sustainability of the process. This pretreatment provides a secondary source of raw materials and revenue for the recycling process, which may lead to an increase in the quality of recycled polymers, contributing to the development of an economical and sustainable recycling process.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3497
Author(s):  
Piotr Stachak ◽  
Izabela Łukaszewska ◽  
Edyta Hebda ◽  
Krzysztof Pielichowski

Polyurethanes (PUs) are a significant group of polymeric materials that, due to their outstanding mechanical, chemical, and physical properties, are used in a wide range of applications. Conventionally, PUs are obtained in polyaddition reactions between diisocyanates and polyols. Due to the toxicity of isocyanate raw materials and their synthesis method utilizing phosgene, new cleaner synthetic routes for polyurethanes without using isocyanates have attracted increasing attention in recent years. Among different attempts to replace the conventional process, polyaddition of cyclic carbonates (CCs) and polyfunctional amines seems to be the most promising way to obtain non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) or, more precisely, polyhydroxyurethanes (PHUs), while primary and secondary –OH groups are being formed alongside urethane linkages. Such an approach eliminates hazardous chemical compounds from the synthesis and leads to the fabrication of polymeric materials with unique and tunable properties. The main advantages include better chemical, mechanical, and thermal resistance, and the process itself is invulnerable to moisture, which is an essential technological feature. NIPUs can be modified via copolymerization or used as matrices to fabricate polymer composites with different additives, similar to their conventional counterparts. Hence, non-isocyanate polyurethanes are a new class of environmentally friendly polymeric materials. Many papers on the matter above have been published, including both original research and extensive reviews. However, they do not provide collected information on NIPU composites fabrication and processing. Hence, this review describes the latest progress in non-isocyanate polyurethane synthesis, modification, and finally processing. While focusing primarily on the carbonate/amine route, methods of obtaining NIPU are described, and their properties are presented. Ways of incorporating various compounds into NIPU matrices are characterized by the role of PHU materials in copolymeric materials or as an additive. Finally, diverse processing methods of non-isocyanate polyurethanes are presented, including electrospinning or 3D printing.


Author(s):  
В. В. Поздняков ◽  
Ю. В. Харченко ◽  
Л. Я. Харченко ◽  
О. В. Анцыферова

Гибриды сахарной и сверхсахарной кукурузы являются хорошим сырьем для производства функциональных пищевых продуктов, в том числе диетического и детского питания. Важными показателями высокого качества этих продуктов являются повышенное содержание белка и ценного масла, незначительное количество плохо усвояемого кукурузного крахмала и высокое содержание антиоксидантов, а также отменные вкусовые качества. В работе представлены данные по оценке антиоксидантной активности большой группы новых перспективных гибридов сверхсахарной кукурузы среднеспелой группы, созданных с целью получения ценных источников сырья для консервной промышленности. Значения показателя общей антиоксидантной активности варьировали в широком интервале значений (от 31,8 % до 60,4 %, 568,4–1008 мкг/г семян), что указывает на перспективность использования этого важного биохимического параметра в селекции сверхсахарной кукурузы на качество. Hybrids of excess sugar maize are good raw material for the production of functional food products, including baby food and diet. Important indicators of high quality of these products are high protein content and a valuable oil, a small amount of poorly digestible maize starch and a high content of antioxidants, and also excellent taste qualities. The paper presents data on the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of a large group of promising new hybrids of excess sugar maize of mid-group created in order to obtain valuable raw materials for the canning industry. Index value of total antioxidant activity varied over a wide range (from 31,8 % to 60,4 %, 568,4–1,008 mg/g of seed), which indicates on promising use of this important parameter in the breeding of biochemical excess sugar maize on quality.


BioResources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 7086-7100
Author(s):  
Agata Stachowiak–Wencek ◽  
Jan Bocianowski ◽  
Hanna Waliszewska ◽  
Sławomir Borysiak ◽  
Bogusława Waliszewska ◽  
...  

In the described study, the relationships between the percentage and structure of selected lignocellulosic components and the efficiency of their anaerobic digestion and the quality of the produced biogas were analyzed. This research included various lignocellulosic raw materials. The biogas efficiency and quality tests were carried out according to DIN standard 38 414-8 (1985) and VDI standard 4630 (2016). Multiple TAPPI standards and the Seifert method were used to determine the chemical composition of the lignocellulose materials. Lignin structure analysis was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Wide-angle X-Ray scattering analysis was used to determine the degree of crystallinity of cellulose. The biogas was positively correlated with C=O and the syringyl to guaiacyl ratio, and negatively correlated with the crystalline structure of cellulose, lignin, cellulose, and extractives. In addition, methane was positively correlated with holocellulose and extractives and negatively correlated with the crystalline structure of cellulose, cellulose, substances soluble in NaOH, and the OH groups. The found independent features accounted for 86.0% of the biogas variability and 68.0% of the methane variability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3(53)) ◽  
pp. 71-78
Author(s):  
Anna Nikolaevna Lilishentseva ◽  
Karolina Vladimirovna Borovaya

The problem of falsification of juice products today is urgent due to the fact that this group of food products is consumed by all segments of the population. Today, at the same time as the presence of a wide range of juices in the modern market, it is quite difficult to identify them and prevent falsification. As a result, there is a need to strengthen control over the quality of juice products and to develop criteria for the authenticity of juices. The article presents the results of the study of the quality of orange juices purchased in the retail outlets in Minsk. In order to identify and detect falsification, a comprehensive assessment of juices was carried out. The author determined the main indicators of the quality and safety of juices such as dissolved solids, titratable acidity, pH level, sugar-acid ratio. However, due to the fact that these indicators can be easily adjusted by adding organic acids, sugars and other components, a study was carried out of such indicators as the content of oxymethylfurfural and formol index, which are the most difficult to falsify. Standard and common methods were used during the experiment. The quality assessment also included an analysis of the causes of deviations that could be found during the study. These causes may be explainable properties of raw materials or technological features of production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7370
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Pinter ◽  
Frank Welle ◽  
Elisa Mayrhofer ◽  
Andreas Pechhacker ◽  
Lukas Motloch ◽  
...  

With the European Green Deal, the importance of recycled products and materials has increased. Specifically, for PET bottles, a high content of recycled material (rPET) is demanded by the industry and consumers. This study was carried out in a lab environment replicating real-life industrial processes, to investigate the possible impacts on rPET quality over eleven recycling loops, aiming to use high amounts of rPET repetitively. A cycle included extrusion, solid state polycondensation (SSP), a second extrusion to simulate bottle production, hot wash and a drying step. 75% rPET and 25% virgin PET were extruded in eleven cycles to simulate a recycling and production process. Samples underwent chemical, physical and biological analysis. The quality of the rPET material was not adversely affected. Parameters such as coloring, intrinsic viscosity, concentration of critical chemicals and presence of mutagenic contaminants could be positively assessed. The quality of the produced material was likely influenced by the input material’s high standard. A closed loop PET bottle recycling process using an rPET content of up to 75% was possible when following the proposed process, indicating that this level of recycled content can be maintained indefinitely without compromising quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 438-446
Author(s):  
Батуч Гусейнова ◽  
Batuch Guseinova ◽  
Фируза Ашурбекова ◽  
Firuza Ashurbekova ◽  
Татьяна Даудова ◽  
...  

Local vegetable raw materials have good prospects in developing new balanced foods with high nutrition value. As a rule, local vegetable raw materials are environmentally friendly and contain a wide range of biologically and physiologically active agents. Fruit liqueurs possess a balanced chemical composition and a high nutrition and physiological value. They produce a recreational or preventive effect on human organism. However, the level of consumption of fresh fruit and berries remains low because of their seasonality. Moreover, the range of fruit and berry products is usually very poor, and very few of them are beneficial for human health and can prevent diseases. The research featured the formulations and production technology for new multicomponent fruit liqueurs of high nutrition value. The liqueurs were made from Dagestan garden and wild fruit and berries with a high content of macro- and micronutrients. The nutrition value and quality of the liqueurs were estimated according to the mass concentration of sugars, titrable acids, vitamins C and P, β-carotene, mineral elements, and phenolic and pectinaceous substances. The sensory properties were measured according to a 10-score system. The paper introduces formulations and technologies for three types of liqueur (Zhivitel’naya, Garmoniya, and Uslada). They involved alcoholized and fermentation-alcoholized juices of grapes, fruit and berry fruit drinks and extracts that mutually complemented each other according to valuable components. The new liqueurs have a high nutrition since 100 cm3 of the liqueur per day partially satisfies the daily requirements for some nutrients: phenolic substances – for 37.5–55.0%; pectinaceous substances – 17.5–32.5%; in vitamin C – 13.7–38.7%, β-carotene – 17.6–43.0%, and a microelement iron – for 14.0–26.0%. The multicomponent fruit liqueurs possess a wide range of biologically and physiologically active agents. As a result, they improve physical activity and increase resistance to bad ecological environment.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayah Alassali ◽  
Noor Aboud ◽  
Kerstin Kuchta ◽  
Philip Jaeger ◽  
Ahmad Zeinolebadi

Due to the lack of advanced methods to clean plastic waste from organic contaminants, this study aimed at evaluating supercritical extraction as a decontamination method. Oil-adhesive high-density polyethylene (HD-PE) oil containers were subjected to supercritical extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide. The extraction was conducted at 300 bar, applying various temperatures (i.e., 70, 80 and 90 °C). The study assessed the impact of temperature on the decontamination efficiency. The variation in the samples’ quality was first analyzed using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. An analysis of the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was followed. Samples treated at 70 and 80 °C showed higher extraction efficiencies, in spite of the lower extraction temperatures. The NIR analysis showed that the plastic specimens did not experience degradation by the supercritical decontamination method. Moreover, the NIR spectra of the extracted oil showed the presence of a wide range of compounds, some of which are hazardous. This has been confirmed by a GC-MS analysis of the extracted oil. Based on the provided assessment, the quality of the decontaminated HD-PE plastic samples—from a contamination point of view—is enhanced in comparison to untreated samples. The level of PAHs contamination decreased to be within the allowed limits defined by the REACH regulation, and also met the specifications of the German Product Safety Committee. This study proved the effectiveness of the supercritical extraction using CO2 in extracting organic contaminants from plastics, while maintaining their quality.


2019 ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Leif Jilken

Plastic waste from industrial companies and commerce constitutes a considerable potential for recovery and conservation of resources. But there are hundreds of different sorts of plastic, in other words, plastic waste is a problem due to its heterogenous nature. The possibility of manufacturing commmercially saleable products from unwashed recycled plastics has been very restricted. For its normal range of products, the plastics industry has required absolutely pure raw materials and it has not been economically justifiable to wash and to produce this from recycled material. By adding organic fibres, such as short woodfibres, with the mixed recycled termoplastics, a composite material POLYWOOD is produced. The granulate mixture is extruded to different profiles, called POLYPLANK, that can be handle like wood but which withstands rot, moisture, soil, etc.and is completely recyclable several times. Polyplank are used for manufacturing of noise barrier sections, recycling yard enclosures, interior fittings in animal boxes etc


2021 ◽  
Vol 297 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-167
Author(s):  
OLGA ANDREYEVA ◽  
NATALIIA PERVAIA ◽  
INNA LOSHKAREVA ◽  
NATALIA CHUMAKOVA ◽  

The paper presents the results of research of two new industrial polymer materials in the form of the Syntan RS3L product and the Syntan F187 product. It has been experimentally established that these materials differ in appearance, structure, and physicochemical properties. So, the first product is a solution of polyacrylates and is well compatible with water, while the second product is a synthetic composition of melamine-formaldehyde resins and inorganic compounds based on aluminium, iron, potassium, sulfur, silicon in the form of a powder, which is partially soluble in water. Using the method of infrared spectroscopy, the features of the structure of polymeric materials are determined – the presence of various groups and bonds, which indicates the polyfunctional nature of both reagents. It was found that after treatment of a chrome tanned collagen preparation with Syntan LF187, the optical density in the IR spectrum of collagen changes to the greatest extent at a frequency of 876-873 cm-1, which corresponds to stretching vibrations of O-O groups of peroxides in the protein structure. When exposed to the Syntan RS3 product, significant changes are observed in the frequency range 1240-1235 cm-1, which corresponds to the stretching and deformation vibrations of the nitrogen-containing Amide II groups, amines and OH groups of alcohols. When studying the technological capabilities of polymeric materials as reagents for filling and retanning chrome tanned leather for shoe uppers from cattle raw materials, it was found that, according to the organoleptic assessment and the indicator of the generalized objective function, the best were leather samples processed with 2.0 % of the Syntan RS3 product. The results obtained can be explained by the peculiarities of the distribution and interaction of materials in the structure of the dermis, the essence of which is the formation of strong and at the same time flexible bonds, which has a positive effect on the formation of the structure and quality indicators of leather. To confirm the obtained data, it is planned to conduct semi-production tests. It is expected that the quality of the finished product will improve, and the existing vegetable and synthetic tanning agents will be replaced with a modern, more efficient and environmentally friendly polymer material.


2021 ◽  
Vol 247 ◽  
pp. 01059
Author(s):  
Olesya Savkina ◽  
Lina Kuznetsova ◽  
Olga Parakhina ◽  
Marina Lokachuk ◽  
Natalia Lavrenteva ◽  
...  

Recycling of substandard bread, technological waste and bread from the distribution network is a promising way of waste management and raw materials saving. In order to optimize the old bread recycling process and to improve the quality of finished products, a new resource-saving technology for rye–wheat bread was developed. It was found that use under 25% of bread crumbs instead of flour was possible in a liquid sourdough with a moisture content of 70%. When old bread dosage increased from 50 to 100%, acid accumulation slowed down, the lifting force deteriorated, the viscosity increased, which may makes it difficult or impossible to pump the sourdough in industrial technological process. The liquid sourdough made with 25% of old bread had a better lifting capacity and contained more alcohol and volatile acids than the control. The quality of bread made using sourdough with 25% of old bread was comparable in quality to control bread made using traditional sourdough. Liquid rye sourdough with recycled old bread allowed the bread shelf life extension by slowing down the bread staling. No effect on mold rate was found when using recycled old bread in sourdough.


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