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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Two-Stage Bio-Hydrogen and Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production: Upcycling of Spent Coffee Grounds
ClearUtilization of spent coffee grounds as fillers to prepare polypropylene composites for food packaging applications
Researchers used waste coffee grounds as filler material in polypropylene plastic composites to improve sustainability and reduce reliance on virgin plastic. Adding natural biomass waste to plastic formulations can reduce the total plastic content in consumer products, though the composites still produce microplastic fragments during use.
Innovative co-production of polyhydroxyalkanoates and methane from broken rice
Researchers demonstrated a biorefinery approach using broken rice as feedstock, exploiting the acidogenesis phase of anaerobic digestion to produce volatile fatty acids for polyhydroxyalkanoate (a biodegradable plastic) biosynthesis by Cupriavidus necator, while co-generating methane from residual solids without requiring costly enzyme pre-treatment.
Scalable Step-by-Step Approach of Sustainable Bioplastic Production from Food Waste
Researchers developed a scalable step-by-step method for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) bioplastics from food waste, addressing both the microplastic crisis and food waste challenges by demonstrating that food waste feedstocks can enable sustainable PHA production as a fully biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.
A Multi-Streamline Approach for Upcycling PET into a Biodiesel and Asphalt Modifier
Researchers developed a multi-stream process to upcycle PET plastic waste into biodiesel precursors and asphalt modifiers. The soluble fraction served as a carbon source for microbial fermentation to produce lipids, while the insoluble fraction was used as an asphalt additive, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to converting plastic waste into valuable products.
Plastic regulates its co-pyrolysis process with biomass: Influencing factors, model calculations, and mechanisms
Researchers investigated co-pyrolysis of plastics and biomass, finding that varying the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio of biomass feedstocks influences synergistic effects on bio-oil quality, offering a strategy to improve plastic waste valorization.
Removal of nano-sized polystyrene plastic from aqueous solutions using untreated coffee grounds
Researchers tested untreated coffee grounds as a low-cost biosorbent for removing nanoplastics from water, finding up to 74% removal efficiency across a wide pH range within 40 minutes, with electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding between coffee ground surface groups and the polystyrene particles driving adsorption.
Valorisation of Sugarcane Bagasse for the Sustainable Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates
This review examines the potential of using sugarcane bagasse, an abundant agricultural waste, as a low-cost feedstock for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates, a biodegradable alternative to synthetic plastics. Researchers found that while the approach is promising for reducing production costs, challenges remain in the pretreatment and hydrolysis steps needed to release fermentable sugars. The study highlights ongoing research aimed at making bioplastic production from agricultural waste commercially viable.
The Potential of Spent Coffee Grounds in Functional Food Development
This review explores whether spent coffee grounds, the leftover material after brewing coffee, could be used as a health-promoting food ingredient rather than being thrown away. Spent coffee grounds contain beneficial compounds like caffeine and antioxidants that may help protect against heart disease, cancer, and liver problems. While not directly about microplastics, repurposing this waste could reduce the millions of tons of coffee grounds sent to landfills each year, where they contribute to environmental pollution.
Development of Films from Spent Coffee Grounds’ Polysaccharides Crosslinked with Calcium Ions and 1,4-Phenylenediboronic Acid: A Comparative Analysis of Film Properties and Biodegradability
Researchers developed biodegradable films from polysaccharides extracted from spent coffee grounds crosslinked with calcium ions, demonstrating a pathway to convert a high-volume food industry byproduct into sustainable packaging materials.
Synergistic Effects and Mechanistic Insights into the Co-Hydropyrolysis of Chilean Oak and Polyethylene: Unlocking the Potential of Biomass–Plastic Valorisation
This paper is not about microplastics; it studies the co-pyrolysis of wood biomass and polyethylene plastics in a hydrogen atmosphere to produce cleaner bio-oil, investigating synergistic thermochemical reactions.
Solvent-free upcycling of agricultural plastic waste using in situ self-assembly metal nanoparticles co-doped microporous carbocatalyst for advanced transportation fuels
Researchers developed a catalytic upcycling process using zinc-nickel nanoparticles embedded in porous carbon derived from pine sawdust to convert waste agricultural plastic mulch film into high-purity liquid hydrocarbons suitable for gasoline and jet fuel, offering a pathway to reduce microplastic accumulation from agricultural lands while recovering energy value.
Utilizing the Antioxidant Properties of Coffee By-Products to Stabilize Bioplastics
This study developed bioplastic films stabilized with antioxidants from coffee production byproducts, improving their resistance to oxidation and light degradation. Bioplastics that resist premature degradation while remaining fully biodegradable are important for reducing microplastic generation from compostable packaging.
Bio-Crude Production Improvement during Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Biopulp by Simultaneous Application of Alkali Catalysts and Aqueous Phase Recirculation
This study explored how adding alkali catalysts and recycling wastewater during hydrothermal conversion of organic waste could improve bio-crude oil yield. Converting organic municipal waste to fuel is a potential approach to reducing the plastic fraction that ends up in landfills and eventually as microplastics.
H2 Production from Real Wastes of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polylactic Acid using CNx/Ni2P Nanocatalyst
Researchers developed a photocatalytic process using a novel nanocatalyst to convert real plastic waste from PET bottles and PLA bioplastics into hydrogen gas. The process achieved maximum hydrogen yields of 124 and 267 micromol per gram for PET and PLA respectively, offering a dual benefit of plastic waste valorization and clean energy production.
Drugs Removal from Wastewater with Activated Carbon from Coffee Waste
Researchers developed activated carbon from coffee grounds collected in Dubai to treat hospital wastewater, finding that chromatographic analysis confirmed complete elimination of many pharmaceuticals and over 90% removal of others through adsorption, demonstrating a dual-waste-recovery approach.
Upgrading biochar via co-pyrolyzation of agricultural biomass and polyethylene terephthalate wastes
PET plastic bottles were co-processed with rice straw at high temperatures to create biochar that can effectively absorb multiple types of pollutants from water. This study demonstrates a way to repurpose plastic waste while also creating a useful tool for environmental remediation.
A Systemic View of Biodegradable Materials: Analyzing the Environmental Performance of Compostable Coffee Capsules in Real Infrastructural Contexts
A systemic analysis of biodegradable materials examined their environmental performance across their full lifecycle, from production through disposal and degradation. The review finds that the environmental benefits of biodegradable plastics depend heavily on end-of-life conditions and that many do not degrade as claimed under real-world conditions.
Upgrading Mixed Agricultural Plastic and Lignocellulosic Waste to Liquid Fuels by Catalytic Pyrolysis
Researchers compounded mixed agricultural plastic waste (netting, twine, film) and lignocellulosic residues (bluegrass straw/chaff) in a twin-screw extruder and subjected the homogenised material to thermal and catalytic pyrolysis (500-600 C) to characterise liquid fuel yields from this otherwise burned or landfilled agricultural waste stream.
Recent trends of biotechnological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from C1 carbon sources
This review examines recent advances in producing polyhydroxyalkanoates, biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics, from C1 carbon sources like methane, methanol, and CO2 using various biotechnological approaches.
Assessment of Co-Pyrolysis of Polypropylene with Triacylglycerol-Based Waste Biomass to Obtain Sustainable Hydrocarbons
Despite its title referencing polypropylene co-pyrolysis, this paper studies the thermal breakdown of polypropylene plastic waste combined with biodiesel industry byproducts to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels — not microplastic pollution. It examines chemical product yields from waste-to-fuel conversion, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
Exploiting sugar-rich feedstocks for sustainable polyhydroxyalkanoate production
Researchers investigated the use of sugar-rich agricultural feedstocks for sustainable production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), evaluating these bacterial biopolymers as biodegradable alternatives to petrochemical plastics that contribute to microplastic pollution.
Electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate to commodity chemicals and H2 fuel
Researchers developed an electrocatalytic process that breaks down waste PET plastic (the kind used in water bottles) into valuable chemicals and clean hydrogen fuel using a specially designed nickel-cobalt catalyst. The process achieved high efficiency at industrial-scale current densities, offering a potentially profitable way to recycle plastic waste into useful products.
Upcycling Municipal Solid Waste to Polymers and Bioethanol
Scientists developed a new way to turn regular household trash into useful products like plastic materials and ethanol fuel, without needing to sort or clean the garbage first. This method could help reduce the massive amounts of waste going to landfills and incinerators, which often release harmful chemicals into the air and water that can affect human health. The process appears to be both economically viable and better for the environment than current waste disposal methods.
Upcycling plastic waste into electrode materials for energy storage applications
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.