We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
EDLC performance of ammonium salt-green polymer electrolyte sandwiched in metal-free electrodes
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper is not substantively about microplastic pollution research; it describes the fabrication of a green energy storage device (electrical double-layer capacitor) using bio-derived polymer electrolytes and microbial cellulose electrodes, briefly mentioning that microplastic waste from electronics is an environmental motivation for the green approach.
Microplastic and metal waste from electronic industries are becoming a major threat to the environment and marine ecosystem. Green processing and employing natural derived materials are solutions to this issue. In this work, an electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) fabricated from green polymer electrolyte (GPE) sandwiched in between two microbial cellulose-based electrodes is characterized. The eco-friendly electrode films of interconnected cellulose and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) are obtained via harmless, inexpensive, and simple procedure. The GPE consists of methylcellulose-potato starch blend as polymer blend and ammonium iodide (NH4I) is chosen as ion provider. Glycerol serves as plasticization agent for alternative pathways enabling ionic migration. The most optimum GPE possesses good ionic conductivity of ∼ 10−3 S/cm. Ions are the dominant charge carrier in the GPE as ion transference number shown to be close to unity. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) analysis illustrated that the GPE is electrochemically stable up to 2.4 V. The green EDLC stores energy through non-Faradaic mechanism and the specific capacitance from charge-discharge, Ccd is influenced by the sweep rates. The EDLC can be charged and discharged up to 2 V with a stable 1000 cyclability performance. This work implied the potential of microbial cellulose-based EDLC as ideal green-based energy storage device for low voltage applications such as smart electronic textiles.
More Papers Like This
Green polymer electrolyte and activated charcoal-based supercapacitor for energy harvesting application: Electrochemical characteristics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a green polymer battery component using chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol as alternatives to conventional plastic materials, motivated by concerns about microplastic pollution from electronic waste. While primarily an engineering study, the work directly addresses how plastic components in electronics contribute to the growing microplastic problem in oceans. Developing biodegradable alternatives for electronic components could help reduce the flow of microplastics from discarded devices into the environment.
Shellac-paper composite as a green substrate for printed electronics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a shellac-paper composite substrate as a biodegradable alternative to plastic films for printed electronics, demonstrating comparable electrical performance while avoiding the microplastic pollution generated by conventional polyethylene terephthalate substrates.
Using dual chamber microbial fuel cells for coupled microplastic biodegradation and bioelectricity production: assessing the effect of substrate
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated using dual-chamber microbial fuel cells to simultaneously biodegrade PET microplastics and generate bioelectricity. The study found that microbial consortia in the fuel cell setup could break down microplastics while producing usable electrical energy, offering a potentially sustainable approach to microplastic remediation in wastewater treatment.
Upcycling plastic waste into electrode materials for energy storage applications
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed approaches for upcycling plastic waste into electrode materials for energy storage applications, finding that discarded plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET can be converted through pyrolysis and chemical activation into carbon-based electrodes for supercapacitors and batteries, addressing both plastic pollution and energy storage challenges simultaneously.
New strategy for microplastic bioremediation: cellulose biopolymer-based hydrogel
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers evaluated bacterial cellulose hydrogel as a biodegradable flocculant to remove microplastics from contaminated water, finding that it effectively aggregated and settled plastic particles under optimized conditions. This plant- and bacteria-derived natural material offers a promising eco-friendly approach for treating microplastic-contaminated wastewater without adding chemical pollutants.
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.