Saleem Junaid, Moghal Zubair Khalid Baig, McKay Gordon
Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha 34110, Qatar.
Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar.
Polymers (Basel). 2023 Dec 31;16(1):135. doi: 10.3390/polym16010135.
Recycling low-end, one-time-use plastics-such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-is of paramount importance to combat plastic pollution and promote sustainability in the modern green economy. This study valorizes LDPE waste by transforming it into 3D oleophilic swellable thin films through a process involving dissolution, phase separation, and extraction. These films are subsequently layered using a customized polypropylene (PP) based nonwoven fabric separator and securely sealed in a zigzag pattern. The zigzag-shaped seal enhances the adhesion of pollutants to the sorbent by providing wire curvatures that increase retention time and uptake capacity. As a result, the sorbent exhibits impressive oil uptake capacities, with immediate and equilibrium values of 120 / and 85 /, respectively. Notably, the as-prepared sorbent demonstrates low water retention and high selectivity for oil, outperforming commercially available oil sorbents. The unique design involving a 3D-film structure, superposed films, and a zigzag-shaped seal offers a sustainable and value-added solution to the issues of LDPE waste and oil spills on water surfaces.
回收低端一次性塑料，如低密度聚乙烯（LDPE），对于对抗塑料污染和促进现代绿色经济的可持续发展至关重要。本研究通过溶解、相分离和萃取等过程，将LDPE废料转化为3D亲油可膨胀薄膜，从而实现其价值提升。随后，使用定制的聚丙烯（PP）基无纺布隔板对这些薄膜进行分层，并以锯齿形图案牢固密封。锯齿形密封通过提供增加保留时间和吸附容量的线曲率，增强了污染物与吸附剂的附着力。结果，该吸附剂表现出令人印象深刻的吸油能力，即时吸油值和平衡吸油值分别为120 / 和85 /。值得注意的是，所制备的吸附剂具有低保水性和对油的高选择性，优于市售吸油剂。这种独特的设计，包括3D薄膜结构、叠加薄膜和锯齿形密封，为LDPE废料和水面溢油问题提供了一种可持续且增值的解决方案。
