Net gain: The schooner Tara, on an expedition around the Mediterranean to monitor microplastic pollution, drags a so-called manta net to collect floating debris. (Photo © A. Deniaud Garcia Tara Expéditions.) The research vessel Tara, a schooner built for marine and polar research, spent seven months of the last year cruising the Mediterranean Sea on an expedition to collect an unglamorous mater...

ith more than 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year, humanity must urgently rethink the way we make and use plastics, so that they do not become waste in the first place. Cheap, light, and versatile, plastics are the dominant materials of our modern economy. Their production is expected to double over the next two decades. Yet, only 14% of all plastic packaging is collected for...

The glycolysis of postconsumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste was evaluated with catalysts of zinc acetate, zinc stearate and zinc sulfate, showing that zinc acetate was the most soluble and effective. The chemical recycling by solvolysis of polylactic acid (PLA) and PET waste in either methanol or ethanol was investigated. Zinc acetate as a catalyst was found to be necessary to yield a...

Waste plastic, both industrial and municipal sources, is posing a major environmental challenges in developing countries such as India due to improper disposal methods. Large quantities of non-recyclable plastic waste get collected in paper recycling plants in Muzaffamagar and other regions in India. The plastic waste is typically in the form of protective covers, thin film, binding coils etc.,...

The effect of fuel composition on gasification process performance was investigated by performing mass and energy balances on a pre-pilot scale bubbling fluidized bed reactor fed with mixtures of plastic waste, wood, and coal. The fuels containing plastic waste produced less H2, CO, and CO2 and more light hydrocarbons than the fuels including biomass. The lower heating value (LHV) progressively...

ith more than 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year, humanity must urgently rethink the way we make and use plastics, so that they do not become waste in the first place. Cheap, light, and versatile, plastics are the dominant materials of our modern economy. Their production is expected to double over the next two decades. Yet, only 14% of all plastic packaging is collected for...

Industrial activities in Iraq are associated with significant amounts of non-biodegradable solid waste, waste plastic being among the most prominent. This study involved 86 experiments and 254 tests to determine the efficiency of reusing waste plastic in the production of concrete. Thirty kilograms of waste plastic of fabriform shapes was used as a partial replacement for sand by 0%, 10%, 15%, ...

E-waste contains high amount of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) which are toxic, bioaccumulative and recalcitrant. In the present study, an effective and environmental-friendly process using solvothermal treatment to extract tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a typical BFR from waste computer housing plastic was developed. After the solvothermal process, TBBPA were transferred into a special sol...

Currently, use and disposal of plastic by consumers through waste management activities in Ghana not only creates environmental problems, but also reinforces the notion of a wasteful society. The magnitude of this problem has led to increasing pressure from the public for efficient and practical measures to solve the waste problem. This paper analyses the impact of plastic use and disposal in G...