We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Converting polyethylene-based fishing net waste into ethylene via catalytic pyrolysis over oyster shell waste
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found a way to turn old fishing nets, a major source of ocean plastic pollution and microplastics, into ethylene, the building block for making new plastic. By combining discarded oyster shells and carbon dioxide as catalysts, they boosted the process's efficiency, offering a promising way to recycle ocean waste instead of burning or dumping it.
Fishing net waste (FNW) is one of the most persistent and harmful marine plastic pollutants. Yet most recovered FNW is landfilled or incinerated, causing secondary environmental pollution. Herein, polyethylene (PE)-based FNW was converted into ethylene, the monomeric building block of PE, via CO-assisted pyrolysis. Conventional pyrolysis mainly yielded waxy condensable products. Extending volatile residence time at elevated temperature promoted secondary cracking toward lighter products, more markedly under CO, yet ethylene remained limited. Oyster shell waste (OSW, 98.3 wt% CaCO), another abundant marine waste, was therefore employed as a Ca-rich catalyst in the downstream zone, promoting cracking of condensable hydrocarbons into light gases. Combining OSW and CO increased the ethylene yield to 24.37 wt%. The higher CO yield under CO than N (2.24 vs. 0.45 wt%) is consistent with CO-mediated gas-phase reactions of OSW-generated intermediates. Superior ethylene production despite less CaO formation indicates that the enhancement is most consistent with CO participation rather than catalyst basicity. Techno-environmental assessment estimated gross benefits of 1.05 t CO-eq (0.28 t as permanent fossil displacement) and US$442 per tonne of FNW, excluding process burdens. Overall, this closed-loop strategy co-utilizes two marine wastes and CO to recover ethylene for virgin PE production while mitigating disposal-derived pollution.
More Papers Like This
Mechanical Recycling of Post-Consumer Polypropylene Fishing Nets: Effect of Blending with Virgin Polymer
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists took old, discarded fishing nets, a major source of ocean plastic pollution, and turned them into new plastic material by blending them with fresh plastic. The recycled blend performed well enough to be reused in products, which could mean less plastic waste polluting oceans, breaking down into microplastics, and eventually ending up in our food and water.
Mitigation approach of plastic and microplastic pollution through recycling of fishing nets at the end of life
AI summary Read the abstract
Discarded fishing nets are a major source of ocean plastic pollution, harming marine life and breaking down into microplastics that can enter the food chain and, eventually, our bodies. Scientists found a way to turn these old nets into new durable materials by combining them with other recycled plastics, offering a practical way to keep this waste out of the ocean and landfills. This kind of recycling could help shrink the growing microplastic problem at its source, rather than just cleaning up after it happens.
The mitigation of the ghost nets threat by recycling of polypropylene: Blends, their ageing tests and spectral characterization
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a method to recycle polypropylene plastic from abandoned fishing nets — a major source of ocean microplastics — by blending recycled fibers with fresh plastic and testing the resulting material in simulated seawater. The recycled blends held up as well as new plastic, suggesting ghost net recycling is a practical strategy to reduce marine microplastic pollution.
Efficient Catalytic Depolymerization of Waste PET Alcohols with Oyster Shell Matrix Materials
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used discarded oyster shells as a precursor for calcium oxide catalysts and optimized the glycolysis of waste PET using response surface methodology, achieving 83.5% yield of the monomer BHET under conditions that avoid the fossil-resource consumption and separation difficulties of conventional metal salt or ionic liquid catalysts.
Challenges and Opportunities for Recycled Polyethylene Fishing Nets: Towards a Circular Economy
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined the challenges of recycling polyethylene from discarded fishing nets, finding that contaminants and degradation during the nets' service life significantly reduce the mechanical properties of recycled resins. The study explores strategies to improve recycled fishing net polyethylene quality and advance circular economy approaches for marine plastic waste.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.