scholarly journals Evaluation of polypropylene degradation with commercial additives in different media of exposure

Author(s):  
Jéssica Pereira Pires ◽  
Alessandro Da Silva Ramos ◽  
Gabriela Messias Miranda ◽  
Rosane Angélica Ligabue ◽  
Jeane Estela Ayres de Lima ◽  
...  

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used polymers in the world, mainly due to its versatility, good properties, and low cost. However, since it is not easily degraded in the natural environment, several research projects have been developed to increase its biodegradability. The use of pro-degrading additives has been explored, as they promote the process of polymer degradation. Nevertheless, few studies have evaluated the degradation of these materials in natural aqueous environments such as rivers and lakes, which contain large amounts of PP waste. The goal of this study was to evaluate the degradation of polypropylene, as well as the biodegradation of PP through the incorporation of two additives of different natures, organic and enzymatic. For this purpose, PP blends were produced with 4% additive, which has the purpose of conferring biodegradability to the material, since polypropylene has high resistance to degradation. In order to verify the behavior of the materials against degradation tests with 2 different media (saline and fresh water) for a period of 6 months, the samples were characterized by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy and Field emission scanning electron microscopy. The characterizations were carried out in order to verify the changes in the structural characteristics and in the morphology of the materials caused by the incorporation of the additive and by the exposure to the degradation media. From the results obtained, it was observed that the additives influenced the degradation of PP. In addition, the enzyme additive and the saline media caused more significant changes in the properties analyzed, indicating greater influence on the degradation process. It was concluded that the incorporation of commercial additives gives biodegradable properties to PP. Therefore, this study has an important role in the research and development of biodegradable materials in order to minimize the effects caused by plastic waste in the environment. Thus, the studied materials are an alternative in the field of plastic packaging, reducing the effects caused by plastic waste in the environment.

Chemosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
André Olean-Oliveira ◽  
Gilberto A. Oliveira Brito ◽  
Celso Xavier Cardoso ◽  
Marcos F. S. Teixeira

The use of graphene and its derivatives in the development of electrochemical sensors has been growing in recent decades. Part of this success is due to the excellent characteristics of such materials, such as good electrical and mechanical properties and a large specific surface area. The formation of composites and nanocomposites with these two materials leads to better sensing performance compared to pure graphene and conductive polymers. The increased large specific surface area of the nanocomposites and the synergistic effect between graphene and conducting polymers is responsible for this interesting result. The most widely used methodologies for the synthesis of these materials are still based on chemical routes. However, electrochemical routes have emerged and are gaining space, affording advantages such as low cost and the promising possibility of modulation of the structural characteristics of composites. As a result, application in sensor devices can lead to increased sensitivity and decreased analysis cost. Thus, this review presents the main aspects for the construction of nanomaterials based on graphene oxide and conducting polymers, as well as the recent efforts made to apply this methodology in the development of sensors and biosensors.


Author(s):  
Bochao Chen ◽  
Ming Liang ◽  
Qingzhao Wu ◽  
Shan Zhu ◽  
Naiqin Zhao ◽  
...  

AbstractThe development of sodium-ion (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) has increased rapidly because of the abundant resources and cost-effectiveness of Na and K. Antimony (Sb) plays an important role in SIBs and PIBs because of its high theoretical capacity, proper working voltage, and low cost. However, Sb-based anodes have the drawbacks of large volume changes and weak charge transfer during the charge and discharge processes, thus leading to poor cycling and rapid capacity decay. To address such drawbacks, many strategies and a variety of Sb-based materials have been developed in recent years. This review systematically introduces the recent research progress of a variety of Sb-based anodes for SIBs and PIBs from the perspective of composition selection, preparation technologies, structural characteristics, and energy storage behaviors. Moreover, corresponding examples are presented to illustrate the advantages or disadvantages of these anodes. Finally, we summarize the challenges of the development of Sb-based materials for Na/K-ion batteries and propose potential research directions for their further development.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 913
Author(s):  
Jinyi Wang ◽  
Sen Yang

The development of low-cost and high-efficiency catalysts for wastewater treatment is of great significance. Herein, nanoporous Cu/Cu2O catalysts were synthesized from MnCu, MnCuNi, and MnCuAl with similar ligament size through one-step dealloying. Meanwhile, the comparisons of three catalysts in performing methyl orange degradation were investigated. One of the catalysts possessed a degradation efficiency as high as 7.67 mg·g−1·min−1. With good linear fitting by the pseudo-first-order model, the reaction rate constant was evaluated. In order to better understand the degradation process, the adsorption behavior was considered, and it was divided into three stages based on the intra-particle diffusion model. Three different temperatures were applied to explore the activation energy of the degradation. As a photocatalytic agent, the nanoporous structure of Cu/Cu2O possessed a large surface area and it also had low activation energy, which were beneficial to the excellent degradation performance.


2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.H. Cheng ◽  
J.Y. Cheng ◽  
T.L. Wu ◽  
C.M. Wang ◽  
S.C. Wang ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Alif Hakimi Hamdan ◽  
◽  
Nur Hanis Hayati Hairom ◽  
Nurhafisza Zaiton ◽  
Zawati Harun ◽  
...  

Thiophene is one of the sulfur compounds in the petroleum fraction that can be harmful to living things and lead to a critical effect on the ecosystem. Photocatalytic degradation is one of the promising methods in treating wastewater as it can mineralization of pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. Other than that, this method is non-toxic and relatively low cost. The production of hydroxyl radicals playing a vital role in the degradation of organic pollutants. It has been claimed that the usage of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles could give an excellent degradation process as this photocatalyst have high photosensitivity, low cost and chemically stable. However, the preparation method of ZnO nanoparticles will affect the agglomeration, particle size, shape and morphology of particles and lead to influence the photocatalytic activity in degrading thiophene. Therefore, this study focused on the effectiveness of ZnO nanoparticles in the presence of fibrous nanosilica (KCC-1) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the capping agent to degrade synthetic thiophene. ZnO/KCC-1 had been synthesized via the precipitation method and characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The chemical bond and nature of the photocatalyst from the FTIR results proved that the synthesis process to produce the ZnO/KCC-1 was succeed. The large surface area of KCC-1 increases the effectiveness of ZnO which is supported by the experimental data. Accordingly, the optimum condition for photocatalytic degradation of thiophene is under pH 7 by using ZnO/KCC-1 as photocatalyst. Hence, it is believed that this research could be implemented to remove the thiophene in petroleum fraction from the actual industrial effluents and this can preserve nature in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Qi ◽  
Zhang Chaoqun ◽  
Yang Weijun ◽  
Wang Qingwen ◽  
Ou Rongxian

Abstract On the basis of the world’s continuing consumption of raw materials, there was an urgent need to seek sustainable resources. Lignin, the second naturally abundant biomass, accounts for 15–35% of the cell walls of terrestrial plants and is considered waste for low-cost applications such as thermal and electricity generation. The impressive characteristics of lignin, such as its high abundance, low density, biodegradability, antioxidation, antibacterial capability, and its CO2 neutrality and enhancement, render it an ideal candidate for developing new polymer/composite materials. In past decades, considerable works have been conducted to effectively utilize waste lignin as a component in polymer matrices for the production of high-performance lignin-based polymers. This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the recent advances and challenges involving lignin-based polymers utilizing lignin macromonomer and its derived monolignols. These lignin-based polymers include phenol resins, polyurethane resins, polyester resins, epoxy resins, etc. The structural characteristics and functions of lignin-based polymers are discussed in each section. In addition, we also try to divide various lignin reinforced polymer composites into different polymer matrices, which can be separated into thermoplastics, rubber, and thermosets composites. This chapter is expected to increase the interest of researchers worldwide in lignin-based polymers and develop new ideas in this field.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
Ali Hassan ◽  
Muhammad Azam ◽  
Yeong Hwan Ahn ◽  
Muhammad Zubair ◽  
Yu Cao ◽  
...  

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite photodetectors are gaining much interest recently for their high performance in photodetection, due to excellent light absorption, low cost, and ease of fabrication. Lower defect density and large grain size are always favorable for efficient and stable devices. Herein, we applied the interface engineering technique for hybrid trilayer (TiO2/graphene oxide/perovskite) photodetector to attain better crystallinity and defect passivation. The graphene oxide (GO) sandwich layer has been introduced in the perovskite photodetector for improved crystallization, better charge extraction, low dark current, and enhanced carrier lifetime. Moreover, the trilayer photodetector exhibits improved device performance with a high on/off ratio of 1.3 × 104, high responsivity of 3.38 AW−1, and low dark current of 1.55 × 10−11 A. The insertion of the GO layer also suppressed the perovskite degradation process and consequently improved the device stability. The current study focuses on the significance of interface engineering to boost device performance by improving interfacial defect passivation and better carrier transport.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-126
Author(s):  
Titien Yusnita ◽  
Febri Palupi Muslikhah ◽  
Machyudin Agung Harahap

The problem of waste is always an interesting thing that never runs out to find a solution. One of them is plastic packaging waste that is widely used by the community and cannot be decomposed again by nature. In line with the SDGs issue, Indonesia is the second largest country that disposes of plastic waste in the world after China. This is very dangerous for the natural beauty of Indonesia's vast seas, and destroys a very diverse ecosystem. Existing plastic waste that comes from household waste, it can be used easily and cheaply into Ecobrick. Ecobrick is a term for the result of managing plastic waste into a brick that can be used as useful items such as chairs or tables. This plastic waste management training activity was carried out for housewives in Cibitung Tengah Village, Bogor Regency to find out the use of plastic waste that can be recycled to be used as useful goods. In addition, to provide awareness of the importance of sorting household waste in order to help preserve nature. Keywords: ecobricks, management, household, plastic waste  


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-363
Author(s):  
Elena Yu. Panasenkova ◽  
◽  
Olga E. Gruzdeva ◽  
Maria G. Kuznetsova ◽  
◽  
...  

The increased use of disposable plastic consumer packaging, especially in the sanitary and epidemiological conditions of COVID-19, makes it necessary to dispose of the resulting waste. The problem is aggravated by the weak processing of waste, which is stored and not destroyed in nature. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to analyze the problems caused by the consumption and disposal of plastic disposable plastic packaging by retail chains and public catering companies. A brief comparative analysis of the composition and quantities of the plastic waste was carried out. The legal documents governing the waste management in Russia and abroad were studied. The Russian waste recycling market was compared with the foreign ones. Data on polymeric waste(composition, quantity, share in the total mass of waste, cost, and possibility of using as a secondary raw material) were studied. The lack of an effective system for collecting polymer waste and its utilization in Russia was emphasized and compared with Asian, European and American countries. In these countries, there are regulatory documents governing the collection and recycling of plastic products; the production itself is economically attractive. Recommendations aimed to encourage manufacturers to recycle waste were given; options for solving the problem of recycling plastic waste on a legislative, economic and managerial basis were offered.


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