Od PET lahví k dobrotám

The treatment of waste PET bottles has become a pressing global issue over the last few decades, and many scientific teams are currently working on solutions to it. There are many different approaches of how to solve this problem. The present article outlines the possibility to process terephthalic acid, which is the hydrolysis product of polyethylene terephthalate, into vanillin, a compound widely used in the food industry. The work of British scientists who have succeeded in using genetic modification to produce a strain of E. coli RARE_pVanX capable of processing polyethylene terephthalate hydrolysates to the desired vanillin is presented in a broader context.

Pendugaan Umur Simpan Cabai Giling Menggunakan Metode Accelerated Shelf Life Testing dengan Pendekatan Arrhenius (Estimation of Shelf Life Ground Chillies Using Accelerated Shelf Life Testing Method with Arrhenius Approach)

<p>Untuk memperpanjang masa simpan cabai giling yang diperdagangkan, perlu dilakukan pengemasan sebaik mungkin sehingga tidak terkontaminasi mikroba. Di samping itu diperlukan informasi masa simpan untuk menjamin bahwa cabai giling sampai di tangan konsumen belum mengalami kerusakan dan masih layak dikonsumsi. Salah satu cara untuk menduga umur simpan secara cepat adalah dengan metode Accelerated Shelf Life Testing (ASLT), melalui pendekatan Arrhenius. Penelitian bertujuan menduga umur simpan cabai giling melalui pendekatan Arrhenius. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Pascapanen BPTP Sumatra Barat pada bulan Mei sampai dengan Oktober 2018. Penyimpanan dilakukan menggunakan kemasan botol plastik Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) dan kantong plastik PP 0,8 mm pada suhu 3ºC, 29ºC, dan 35ºC. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa reaksi kinetika penurunan mutu cabai giling mengikuti ordo satu. Pendugaan umur simpan paling lama diperoleh pada perlakuan pemanasan cabai giling selama 25 menit kemudian dikemas dengan botol PET, disimpan pada suhu 3°C, yaitu 211,41 hari, dengan model matematika penurunan mutu Lnk =14,883-7154,67(1/T). Jika disimpan pada suhu 29˚C dan 35˚C masing-masing umur simpan hanya 53,26 hari dan 27,21 hari.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>Umur simpan; Pengolahan; Cabai giling</p><p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>To extend the shelf life of traded ground chilies, good packaging is necessary in order not to be contaminated by microbes. In addition, information on shelf life is needed to ensure that the ground chillies that arrive at consumers have not been damaged and are still fit for consumption. One way to quickly estimate shelf life is by using the Accelerated Shelf Life Testing (ASLT) method, through the Arrhenius approach. The research aimed to estimate the shelf life of ground chillies through the Arrhenius approach. The research was conducted at the Postharvest Laboratory of BPTP West Sumatra from May to October 2018. Storage was carried out using Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and 0.8 mm PP plastic bags at temperatures of 3ºC, 29ºC, and 35ºC. The results showed that the reaction kinetics of quality deterioration of ground chillies followed order 1. The longest estimated shelf life was obtained in the heating treatment of ground chilies for 25 minutes then packed with PET bottles, stored at 3°C, that is 211.41 days, with a mathematical model of quality degradation Lnk = 14.883-7154.67 (1/T). If stored at 29oC and 35oC, the shelf life is only 53.26 days and 27.21 days, respectively.</p>

A STATE OF ART AND PROSPECTS OF HANDLING USED PET BOTTLES

The main data on the production volume of bottles from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the world are presented. The main ways of handling used PET bottles as one of the hazardous types of waste for the environment, but promising from the point of view of using their properties, are analyzed. The main methods of handling used PET bottles are considered and a critical analysis of each of them is given. Particular attention is paid to the methods of recycling PET bottles, which made it possible to efficiently use recycled PET raw materials directly for their intended purpose. The features of physical, chemical, biological and combined processing methods are also considered, in particular, combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, plasma decomposition of PET bottles, as well as their decomposition under the influence of microorganisms. The main ways of solving the problem of used PET bottles are proposed. Bibl. 84, Fig. 1.

Living in a bottle: Bacteria from sediment-associated Mediterranean waste and potential growth on polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Ocean pollution is a worldwide environmental challenge that could be partially tackled through microbial applications. To shed light on the diversity and applications of the bacterial communities that inhabit the sediments trapped in artificial containers, we analyzed residues (Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and aluminum cans) collected from the Mediterranean Sea by scanning electron microscopy and Next Generation Sequencing. Moreover, we set a collection of culturable bacteria from the plastisphere that were screened for their ability to use PET as a carbon source. Our results reveal that Proteobacteria are the predominant phylum in all the samples and that Rhodobacteraceae, Woeseia, Actinomarinales, or Vibrio are also abundant in these residues. Moreover, we identified marine isolates with enhanced growth in the presence of PET: Aquimarina intermedia, Citricoccus spp., and Micrococcus spp. Our results suggest that the marine environment is a source of biotechnologically promising bacterial isolates that may use PET or PET additives as carbon sources.

Comparative Study between R-Pet & Virgin Pet in Terms of Technical Aspect and Market Potential

The crux of the new trend lies in sustainability and so follows the recyclable products. Polyester is of immense importance as a fibre when it comes to textile and garment, but the type used (Virgin PET) is not an eco-friendly one. Polyester filament extracted from the recycled PET bottles can cater to the unmet need of an eco-friendly substitute to the virgin polyester. A comparative study has been made to analyse whether recycled PET can perform the functionality of virgin PET. The physical properties of both stand out to be the same, signalling the use of recycled PET filament. Recycled PET filament finds it limitation in non-uniform dyeing but the same can be solved through chemical extraction. Keywords: Virgin PET, Recycled PET, Instron test, Boiling water shrinkage test, sustainable, market potential.

Life cycle assessment of single-use and reusable plastic bottles in the city of Johannesburg

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of water have experienced huge growth in demand and sales in South Africa. This expansion in use creates challenges as well as opportunities for managing the life cycle impact. The properties that make PET desirable for fluid-containing bottles have also made it highly resistant to environmental biodegradation. Reusable plastic bottles are now marketed as a solution to reduce the impact of single-use plastic bottles. We assessed the life cycle impact of single-use PET bottles and an alternative, reusable PET bottle based on consumption patterns in South Africa and the material flow and supply chain in the urban environment. This robust consideration of local conditions is important in evaluating the life cycle impact. In an examination of 13 impact categories, the reusable PET bottle had lower impact than the single-use bottle in all the impact categories examined. The mass of PET bottle material required to deliver the water needs at any given time is a dominant factor on the environmental burden. Extending the life of reusable bottles and designing lighter weight bottles would reduce their life cycle impact. Information obtained in evaluating alternatives to plastic water bottles can be valuable for providing a foundation assessment for policymakers and plastic bottle manufacturers to make informed choices and to focus on improvements in life cycle impact.

Conversion of Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Polymer into Activated Carbon and Its Feasibility to Produce Green Fuel

In this study, a novel idea was proposed to convert the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste drinking-water bottles into activated carbon (AC) to use for waste cooking oil (WCO) and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) feasibility to convert into esters. The acidic and basic char were prepared by using the waste PET bottles. The physiochemical properties were determined by employing various analytical techniques, such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and temperature-programmed desorption – ammonia/carbon dioxide (TPD-NH3/CO2). The prepared PET H3PO4 and PET KOH showed the higher surface area, thus illustrating that the surface of both materials has enough space for impregnation of foreign precursors. The TPD-NH3 and TPD-CO2 results depicted that PET H3PO4 is found to have higher acidity, i.e., 18.17 mmolg−1, due to the attachment of phosponyl groups to it during pretreatment, whereas, in the case of PET KOH, the basicity increases to 13.49 mmolg−1. The conversion results show that prepared materials can be used as a support for an acidic and basic catalyst for the conversion of WCO and PFAD into green fuel.