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Raw data for the project 'Upcycling Waste Aromatic Polymers as Adsorbents for Atmospheric Water Harvesting'
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This record contains raw data from a lab study that turned waste plastic into a new material designed to absorb water from the air. In tests, the material absorbed water vapor, with higher humidity levels producing greater water absorption.
Plastic pollution and water scarcity are two of the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century. Conventional recycling approaches such as mechanical reprocessing, pyrolysis, and depolymerisation often lead to material degradation, high energy demands, or low-value outputs. We report an innovative approach to upcycle discarded aromatic polymers into hypercrosslinked networks for sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting. Waste aromatic plastics are crosslinked and sulfonated to yield hydrophilic hypercrosslinked polymers that exhibit excellent water sorption capacity, reaching 0.19 g×g-1 at 30% and 0.57 g×g-1 at 90% relative humidity and 25 °C. This work outlines a potential second service life for waste polymers as robust materials for sustainable water production, bridging the dual challenges of plastic waste management and water scarcity.
More Papers Like This
A review of the potential utilisation of plastic waste as adsorbent for removal of hazardous priority contaminants from aqueous environments.
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This review assessed the potential of waste plastic as an adsorbent for removing hazardous contaminants from water, noting that plastics already adsorb heavy metals and organic pollutants in the marine environment and could be repurposed as low-cost water treatment materials.
Hygroscopicity of Microplastic and Mixed Microplastic Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate Systems
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Researchers investigated how microplastics interact with atmospheric aerosol by measuring the hygroscopicity of microplastic-ammonium sulfate mixed systems, finding that microplastics alter water uptake and efflorescence behavior of aerosol particles in ways that could affect their atmospheric transport and climate-relevant properties.
Use of Waste Plastic Char as Adsorbent for Removal of Arsenic and COD from Aqueous Solution
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Researchers tested char produced from pyrolysis of waste HDPE and polypropylene plastic as an adsorbent for removing arsenic and organic matter from water. Converting waste plastic into functional water treatment materials offers a dual benefit: removing plastic from circulation while addressing other water quality problems.
Quick analysis of the influence of the monsoon on the concentration of microplastics in the air
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Researchers analysed how monsoon rainfall affected atmospheric microplastic concentrations, finding that precipitation events redistributed plastic particles and temporarily increased concentrations of certain polymer types in air samples. The study identifies rainwater as both a carrier and a concentrating medium for atmospheric microplastics.
Adsorption of some hazardous aromatic hydrocarbons by various pristine and heat-activated aged microplastics as potential pollutant carriers in aquatic environment
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Researchers examined how pristine and heat-aged microplastics of four polymer types adsorb hazardous aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that aging significantly altered adsorption capacity. The results demonstrate that weathered microplastics may act as more effective pollutant vectors than pristine particles in aquatic environments.
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.