Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Sistemas de revalorización de poliolefinas procedentes de residuos sólidos urbanos

This Spanish thesis examined systems for recovering and reusing polyolefin plastics from municipal solid waste, evaluating mechanical and chemical recycling approaches. Improving plastic recovery rates reduces the volume of plastic waste that eventually fragments into microplastics in landfills and the environment.

2023
Article Tier 2

Economia Circular E Desenvolvimento Sustentável: Compostabilidade, Biodegradação E Inovação Em Biopolímeros E Compósitos Renováveis Para Aplicações Estruturais, Agrícolas E Embalagens

This review paper summarizes research on new plant-based plastics that can break down naturally in the environment, unlike regular plastics made from oil. These eco-friendly materials could replace traditional plastic in food packaging and farming, potentially reducing the tiny plastic particles that end up in our food and water. However, the technology still needs improvements and better waste management systems before these biodegradable plastics can widely replace regular plastics.

2026 Aracê.
Article Tier 2

Valorization of post-consumer plastic packaging into a composite material

This study developed a composite building material from post-consumer mixed plastic packaging waste, providing a higher-value end use that diverts plastic from landfill. Using plastic waste in durable construction products reduces the amount available to degrade into microplastics in the environment.

2023 Proceedings of International Exchange and Innovation Conference on Engineering & Sciences (IEICES)
Article Tier 2

Public policies to mitigate plastic pollution and adhere to the circular economy: A case study from Ecuador

This study examines Ecuador as a case study in public policy for plastic pollution management, analyzing national legislation including the Single-Use Plastics Rationalization Law and the Inclusive Circular Economy Law, concluding that Ecuador's regulatory framework offers a transferable model for other countries seeking to reduce plastic production and promote circular economy principles.

2024 Scientia et technica
Article Tier 2

Examinando la demanda de plásticos durante la pandemia: Un enfoque factorial

This Ecuadorian study examined how plastic consumption changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in households. Pandemic-related increases in single-use plastic demand — from protective equipment, takeout packaging, and online shopping — contributed to a spike in plastic waste with long-term environmental consequences.

2023 Revista Económica 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Upcycling the Banana Industry in Ecuador: A Methodology to Estimate Organic Waste Availability and a Catalogue of Potential Biodegradable Products

This Ecuadorian study assessed the availability of banana plant waste and evaluated its potential for making biodegradable products as alternatives to plastic packaging. Developing renewable, biodegradable packaging from agricultural byproducts could reduce the plastic waste that eventually degrades into microplastics.

2023 International Journal on Advanced Science Engineering and Information Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Maximizing Environmental Impact Savings Potential through Innovative Biorefinery Alternatives: An Application of the TM-LCA Framework for Regional Scale Impact Assessment

This study evaluated the environmental savings potential of innovative biorefinery approaches for converting agricultural and organic waste into valuable products. It is a life cycle assessment paper on industrial ecology with no direct relevance to microplastics.

2019 Sustainability 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Contribution to a Circular Economy Model: From Lignocellulosic Wastes from the Extraction of Vegetable Oils to the Development of a New Composite

Researchers developed a fully bio-based composite material using bio-derived polyethylene from sugar cane and chia seed oil extraction by-product as filler. This circular economy approach to bioplastic composites could replace petroleum-based plastics and reduce the microplastic pollution that comes from conventional plastic degradation.

2021 Polymers 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Socio-economic Importance of Biomaterials in the Transition to the Circular Economy Model

Researchers examined the socio-economic role of biomaterials in transitioning economies toward the circular economy model, finding that substituting conventional plastics with bio-based materials can reduce waste accumulation while meeting EU sustainable development targets for 2030.

2021 SHS Web of Conferences 5 citations
Article Tier 2

El desarrollo de plástico biodegradable a partir del cáñamo por estímulo microbiano

Researchers developed a biodegradable plastic using hemp (Cannabis sativa) fiber in conjunction with microbial stimulation, exploiting the structural properties of the hemp stalk fiber as a biopolymer matrix. The study demonstrated the technical feasibility of producing plant-derived bioplastics as an alternative to petroleum-based polymers contributing to microplastic pollution.

2024 Revista Tecnología en Marcha
Article Tier 2

Biodegradar para No Contaminar: El Futuro de los Plásticos

This Spanish-language paper reviews the current state of biodegradable plastics as alternatives to conventional polymers, examining the potential for bio-based materials to reduce microplastic formation and marine contamination while meeting functional requirements for packaging and consumer products.

2025 Tendencias en energías renovables y sustentabilidad .
Article Tier 2

Microplásticos, Seus Impactos No Ambiente E Maneiras Biodegradáveis De Substituição.

This Portuguese-language review examined microplastics as major aquatic and terrestrial pollutants, summarizing their sources, environmental distribution, and impacts on ecosystems, and reviewing biodegradable alternatives as a strategy to reduce future plastic fragment accumulation.

2021 Revista Internacional de Ciências 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Análise da eficiência de compostagem e vermicompostagem para resíduos sólidos orgânicos com inserção de material biodegradável

Researchers analysed the efficiency of composting and vermicomposting for organic solid waste in Brazil, incorporating biodegradable materials and evaluating how these treatment approaches can reduce the approximately 45.3% of urban solid waste that currently ends up in landfills.

2024 Periódico Eletrônico Fórum Ambiental da Alta Paulista.
Article Tier 2

The Environmental and Economic Viability of Chitosan Production in Guayas-Ecuador: A Robust Investment and Life Cycle Analysis

Ecuadorian researchers analyzed the environmental and economic feasibility of producing chitosan—a biodegradable biopolymer—from shrimp shell waste. Chitosan has potential applications as a natural plastic alternative and as a flocculant for removing microplastics from water.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance Spectrum of Home-Compostable Biopolymer Fibers Compared to a Petrochemical Alternative

Researchers compared home-compostable biopolymer fibers to conventional petrochemical alternatives, evaluating their mechanical performance and degradability to assess whether biobased materials can serve as viable substitutes that reduce microplastic pollution.

2023 Polymers 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular economy model for reuse of plastic in eco-efficient production of building materials

This study explored using plastic waste in the production of construction blocks and bricks as part of a circular economy approach, reducing the amount of plastic that enters the environment as microplastics. The construction sector offers a significant opportunity to valorize plastic waste as a durable material rather than allowing it to degrade in landfills.

2023 Journal of business and entrepreneurial studie 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Management of Organic Waste and Recycling for Bioplastics: A LCA Approach for the Italian Case Study

Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental trade-offs of collecting organic waste for biodegradable plastic production in Italy, finding that the system could reduce fossil resource use but that impacts depended heavily on collection efficiency and the end-of-life pathway chosen.

2021 Sustainability 36 citations