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Polyethylene Degradation using Chitosan-Incorporated Iron Nanoparticles: A Review
Summary
Plastic waste, especially the polyethylene used in bags and packaging, sticks around in the environment for decades and slowly breaks down into microplastics that can end up in our water, food, and even our bodies. This review paper rounds up existing research on a promising cleanup method that combines chitosan (a natural substance from shellfish) with tiny iron particles to speed up plastic breakdown, potentially offering a faster, eco-friendly alternative to letting plastic pile up in landfills. While this technology is still being developed and tested, it could eventually help reduce the amount of plastic waste—and microplastic pollution—we're ex
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.