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Polyethylene Degradation using Chitosan-Incorporated Iron Nanoparticles: A Review
Summary
This review paper rounds up existing research on a promising new way to break down plastic waste faster: combining chitosan (a natural material from shrimp shells) with iron nanoparticles to speed up the breakdown of polyethylene, one of the most common and stubborn plastics in landfills and oceans. This matters because polyethylene normally takes decades to break down, shedding microplastics that can end up in our food, water, and bodies — so finding faster, eco-friendly ways to degrade it could help reduce our long-term exposure. That said, this is a summary of lab-based research so far, and the review notes there are still challenges to solve before this
The rapid accumulation of polyethylene (PE) waste has created a major environmental concern, necessitating the development of sustainable degradation strategies, as the polyethylene waste offers resistance to natural degradation. Also, conventional disposal techniques such as landfilling and incineration are related to secondary pollution. This review includes the recent advancements in polyethylene degradation using chitosan- incorporated iron nanoparticles (FeNPs), a hybrid system combining biopolymer functionality with nanocatalytic activity. The synergistic interaction between chitosan and FeNPs enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, promotes microbial colonization, and improves surface modification of polyethylene, thereby accelerating degradation. This synergic interaction improves the chemical and microbial degradation pathways as chitosan, a biodegradable biopolymer, acts as a stabilizing matrix, while FeNPs provide catalytic activity. This review highlights the synthetic methods, degradation mechanisms, performance evaluation, and environmental implications while identifying current research gaps and future directions. The review also includes the potential of chitosan–FeNP composites as an eco-friendly and scalable solution for plastic waste remediation with the key challenges for the large-scale application.