Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy.

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the major plastics contributing to environmental pollution with its durability and resistance to biodegradation. Recent research has found mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor) and superworms ( Zophobas morio) to be able to utilize PS as a carbon food source and degrade them without toxic effects. In this study, the effects of food additives on plastic consumption augmentation were studied, with small additions of sucrose and bran found to increase PS consumption. To close the plastic carbon cycle, we also evaluated the use of worm frass for dragon fruit cacti ( Hylocereus undatus) growth and found that superworm frass supported rooting and growth better than mealworm frass and control media over a fortnight. Superworms, apart from being known fish and poultry feed, have been shown to be a suitable natural solution to the PS plastic problem that can support plant growth towards a zero-waste sustainable bioremediation cycle.

Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy.

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the major plastics contributing to environmental pollution with its durability and resistance to biodegradation. Recent research has found mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor ) and superworms ( Zophobas morio ) to be able to utilize PS as a carbon food source and degrade them without toxic effects. In this study, the effects of food additives on plastic consumption augmentation were studied, with small additions of sucrose and bran found to increase PS consumption. To close the plastic carbon cycle, we also evaluated the use of worm frass for dragon fruit cacti ( Hylocereus undatus ) growth and found that superworm frass supported rooting and growth better than mealworm frass and control media over a fortnight. Superworms, apart from being known fish and poultry feed, have been shown to be a suitable natural solution to the PS plastic problem that can support plant growth towards a zero-waste sustainable bioremediation cycle.

Plastic agriculture using worms: Augmenting polystyrene consumption and using frass for plant growth towards a zero-waste circular economy

ABSTRACTPolystyrene or PS is one of the plastics contributing to environmental pollution with its durability and resistance to biodegradation. Recent research has found that mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (Zophobas morio) are able to utilize polystyrene as a carbon food source and degrade them without toxic effects. In this study, we studied food additives to augment the plastic consumption and found that small additions of sucrose and bran were able to encourage PS consumption. To close the plastic carbon cycle, we also evaluated the use of the worm frass for dragon-fruit cacti (Hylocereus undatus) growth and found that superworm frass supported rooting and growth better than mealworm frass and control media over a fortnight. From the results, superworms are shown to be a suitable natural solution to the PS plastic problem that can also support plant growth towards a zero-waste sustainable bioremediation cycle.

Machinability of Thermo-Plastic Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic in Inclined Planetary Motion Milling

The study deals with an improved method of milling thermo-plastic CFRP with a radius end mill. The authors use inclined planetary milling to carry out a fine CFRP boring technique. The inclined planetary motion milling consists of the two independent spindle motions of tool rotation and revolution. The eccentricity of the tool rotation axis is realized by a few degrees of inclination from the revolution axis. The movement of eccentric mechanism can be reduced by comparing it with that of orbital drilling. The inclined planetary motion milling reduces inertial vibration and decreases cutting force. Owing to the geometrical cutting principle, material delamination and burrs can be decreased. Thermo-plastic CFRP has recently been under development as an alternative structural material for the next generation of automobiles and in response to demands for bored fastening holes. The shape of the cutting edge of the ball end mill is suitable for the inclined planetary milling, as revealed by results of past experiments done on thermo-set CFRP. However, the ball end mill has left burrs and melted matrix on the exit side in the case of thermo-plastic CFRP. The radius end mill has the advantage over the ball end mill in terms of finishing fine boring. Based on the consideration of the schematic model and experiments using the Taguchi method, the improved milling conditions are examined.

Carbon Fibres: Production, Properties and Potential Use

Carbon fiber is composed of carbon atoms bonded together to form a long chain. The fibers are extremely stiff, strong, and light, and are used in many processes to create excellent building materials. Carbon fiber material comes in a variety of "raw" building-blocks, including yarns, uni-directional, weaves, braids, and several others, which are in turn used to create composite parts. The properties of a carbon fiber part are close to that of steel and the weight is close to that of plastic. Thus the strength to weight ratio (as well as stiffness to weight ratio) of a carbon fiber part is much higher than either steel or plastic. Carbon fiber is extremely strong. It is typical in engineering to measure the benefit of a material in terms of strength to weight ratio and stiffness to weight ratio, particularly in structural design, where added weight may translate into increased lifecycle costs or unsatisfactory performance.

Density, Microstructure and Mechanical Property of Large-Scale C/C Composites Prepared by Thermal Gradient CVI

2D-C/C composites with the dimension of Φ80mm×400mm were prepared rapidly by thermal gradient CVI within 104 hours. Their density reached 1.74g/m3and the density difference was less than 0.04g/cm3. The pyrocarbon microstructure changed from RL to RL+SL, and then to SL along radial direction. These changes were attributed mainly to the difference of gas concentration and temperature gradient at every micro-zone during chemical vapor infiltration. After heat-treatment at high temperature, the space among layers of pyrocarbon enlarged and residual thermal stress was freed, which could lead to cracks formed in matrix. The flexural property of composites decreased with increasing heat-treatment temperature and the fracture mode changed from the brittleness to pseudo-plastic. Carbon particulars between pyrocarbon laminas can increase the flexural strength by particular reinforcement.