Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, University Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), Universiti Teknlogi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
J Environ Manage. 2024 Apr;356:120644. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120644. Epub 2024 Mar 23.
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials, mainly consisting of polymers. The use of plastics has increased to over 300 million metric tonnes in recent years, and by 2050, it is expected to grow to 800 million. Presently, a mere 10% of plastic waste is recycled, with approximately 75% ended up in landfills. Inappropriate disposal of plastic waste into the environment poses a threat to human lives and marine species. Therefore, this review article highlights potential routes for converting plastic/microplastic waste into valuable resources to promote a greener and more sustainable environment. The literature review revealed that plastics/microplastics (P/MP) could be recycled or upcycled into various products or materials via several innovative processes. For example, P/MP are recycled and utilized as anodes in lithium-ion (Li-ion) and sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries. The anode in Na-ion batteries comprising PP carbon powder exhibits a high reversible capacity of ∼340 mAh/g at 0.01 A/g current state. In contrast, integrating FeO and PE into a Li-ion battery yielded an excellent capacity of 1123 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g current state. Additionally, recycled Nylon displayed high physical and mechanical properties necessary for excellent application as 3D printing material. Induction heating is considered a revolutionary pyrolysis technique with improved yield, efficiency, and lower energy utilization. Overall, P/MPs are highlighted as abundant resources for the sustainable production of valuable products and materials such as batteries, nanomaterials, graphene, and membranes for future applications.
塑料是一种广泛的合成或半合成材料，主要由聚合物组成。近年来，塑料的使用量已增加到 3 亿多公吨，预计到 2050 年将增长到 8 亿公吨。目前，只有 10%的塑料废物被回收，约 75%的塑料废物最终被填埋。将塑料废物不当处理到环境中会对人类生命和海洋物种构成威胁。因此，本文综述了将塑料/微塑料废物转化为有价值资源的潜在途径，以促进更绿色、更可持续的环境。文献综述显示，塑料/微塑料（P/MP）可以通过几种创新工艺回收或升级为各种产品或材料。例如，P/MP 可以回收并用作锂离子（Li-ion）和钠离子（Na-ion）电池的阳极。由 PP 碳粉组成的 Na-ion 电池的阳极在 0.01 A/g 的电流状态下具有高达 340 mAh/g 的高可逆容量。相比之下，将 FeO 和 PE 集成到 Li-ion 电池中，在 0.5 A/g 的电流状态下产生了 1123 mAh/g 的优异容量。此外，回收的尼龙显示出作为 3D 打印材料所需的高物理和机械性能。感应加热被认为是一种具有改进的产率、效率和更低能量利用的革命性热解技术。总的来说，P/MP 被认为是可持续生产有价值产品和材料（如电池、纳米材料、石墨烯和膜）的丰富资源，适用于未来的应用。
