Plastic Footprint

Plastic pollution has become mammoth issue worldwide, with plastic waste generation far outpacing than its degradation.Around 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually, causing significant harm to both human health and the environment.Plastic trash which is disposed of on land and ocean gets converted to micro-and nano-plastics and shows a significant contribution to climate change.Apart from this, plastics enter the food chain, and a substantial volume of plastics is found in the human body.Sustainable plastic management, including converting plastic waste into fuel, offers a potential solution that addresses both pollution and the global energy demand.This book explores the myths and benefits of plastics, the global scale of plastic pollution, and recycling efforts worldwide.It also examines how transforming plastic waste into fuel can provide a sustainable resource for the twenty-first century.This book is a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and academics focused on addressing plastic pollution and finding viable solutions.Key highlights include an assessment of plastic pollution, the pros and cons of plastics, emerging contaminants like micro-and nano-plastics, and strategies for their remediation to ensure a sustainable environment for modern society.The first chapter "Plastic Utilization in the Modern Era: The Twenty-First Century" highlights the utilization of plastics and their potential impacts in the twenty-first century.The second chapter "Micro-and Nano-Plastics (MNPs) in the Environment: Addressing the Sampling and Identification Issues" focuses on emerging contaminants, specifically microand nano-plastics, and their identification and collection in the environment.The third chapter "Advancing Sustainability in Construction: Integrating Recycled Plastic Waste into Green Concrete" addresses the sustainable use of plastics in construction materials.The fourth and fifth chapters "Plastic Pollution Disrupting the Aquatic Ecosystem" and "Development of a Standardized Plastic Footprint Measurement Tool for Combating Marine Plastic Pollution" examine the impact of plastics in aquatic environments.The sixth chapter "Nanobiotechnology for Reducing Plastic Footprint and Combatting Micro and Nano-plastic Pollution" highlights the role of nanomaterials in mitigating plastic pollution.The seventh chapter "Assessing Effects and Impacts Associated with Macro-Micro Plastics in Waterbodies" assesses the v vi Preface environmental impact of micro-and nano-plastics.The eighth chapter "Assessing Different Tools Employed in Auto-segregation of Plastic Waste" discusses the use of artificial intelligence to auto-segregate the plastics.Nonetheless, the material collected in this volume offers comprehensive insights into the plastic footprint, its environmental impacts, and the mitigation efforts undertaken in recent years to foster sustainability within the plastic industry.Overall, the content in this book brings in-depth understanding and extension of knowledge in the field of plastic pollution and its associated impacts.