Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Polyurethane Foam Waste Upcycling into an Efficient and Low Pollutant Gasification Syngas

Researchers modeled the gasification of polyurethane foam waste under various conditions, finding that optimized thermochemical treatment can convert this common polymer waste into hydrogen-rich syngas with low pollutant output, offering a viable energy recovery pathway for difficult-to-recycle plastic foam materials.

2022 Polymers 21 citations
Article Tier 2

The myth of hazardous-to-wealth concept: transformation of marine microplastics to pyrolysis gas

Researchers collected marine microplastics from a Southeast Asian coastal area and tested whether pyrolysis could convert them into useful syngas, achieving an average syngas yield of about 35% and producing a highly porous char. The study demonstrates a potential waste-to-energy pathway that could both reduce the environmental load of marine microplastics and generate valuable gaseous fuel products. Converting microplastic waste into energy resources could provide an economic incentive for collection and remediation efforts.

2024 Energy Sources Part A Recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Production of combustible fuels and carbon nanotubes from plastic wastes using an in-situ catalytic microwave pyrolysis process

Researchers developed an in-situ catalytic microwave pyrolysis process using ZSM-5 catalyst to convert plastic waste into hydrogen, liquid fuel, and carbon nanotubes, demonstrating a promising route for both energy recovery and valuable material production from plastic pollution.

2023 Scientific Reports 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Complete degradation of polystyrene microplastics through non-thermal plasma-assisted catalytic oxidation

Researchers developed a two-stage non-thermal plasma system for degrading polystyrene microplastics at low temperatures. Using dielectric barrier discharge plasma coupled with a catalytic oxidation step, they achieved near-complete conversion of polystyrene particles to carbon dioxide within 60 minutes. The study demonstrates a promising technology for breaking down microplastic pollution without requiring high-temperature incineration.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recycling of Plastics by Microwave‐Assisted High‐Temperature Pyrolysis

Researchers developed a microwave-assisted high-temperature pyrolysis method that continuously breaks down mixed plastic waste and plant oil into useful chemicals like ethylene and propylene. This chemical recycling approach could help divert plastic waste from the environment while producing renewable building blocks for new materials.

2020 Global Challenges 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Back cover

Researchers developed a scalable continuous low-pressure hydrothermal processing method to convert polystyrene plastic waste into valuable monomers, operating without catalysts, producing less char than pyrolysis, and requiring substantially lower pressures than supercritical methods.

2025 RSC Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Enhanced Interfacial Adhesion of Polystyrene Bead Foams by Microwave Sintering for Microplastics Reduction

Researchers developed a microwave sintering method to improve the bonding between polystyrene foam beads, reducing the likelihood that the foam breaks apart and releases microplastic particles. Polystyrene foam fragmentation is a significant source of persistent microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2021 Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation the impact of polystyrene micro and nanoplastics on the methane generation by anaerobic digestion

Researchers tested the effect of polystyrene microplastics and their leached chemical additives on anaerobic digestion systems, finding that microplastic presence reduced methane generation efficiency and disrupted microbial community function.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of polystyrene microplastics on anaerobic digestion performance of food waste: Focusing on oxidative stress, microbial community, key metabolic functions

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect anaerobic digestion of food waste and found that smaller particles caused greater inhibition of methane production, with reductions up to 33%. The study suggests that small microplastics induce more oxidative stress in microbial communities and suppress key enzymes involved in methane-producing metabolic pathways.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics distinctively affect anaerobic sludge treatment for hydrogen and methane production

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics have distinct effects on anaerobic sludge treatment, with nanoplastics generally inhibiting both hydrogen and methane production while microplastics could actually promote hydrogen generation under certain conditions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

ReaxFF molecular dynamics studies on the impact of reaction conditions in polystyrene conversion through hydrothermal gasification

Researchers used computer simulations to model how hydrothermal gasification — a process that uses hot pressurized water — breaks down polystyrene microplastics into hydrogen-rich syngas, finding that temperature is the key control factor and that water plays a dual role in both aiding and hindering the reaction.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrogen production from plastic waste: A comprehensive simulation and machine learning study

Researchers used computer simulations and machine learning to optimize hydrogen production from polystyrene and polypropylene plastic waste through gasification. They found that increasing the gasification temperature up to 900 degrees Celsius significantly boosted hydrogen output, while higher pressures reduced production. The study demonstrates that converting plastic waste into hydrogen fuel could be an efficient way to address both energy needs and plastic pollution.

2024 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Renewable aromatics from the degradation of polystyrene under mild conditions

Researchers developed a bimetallic iron-copper catalyst that breaks down polystyrene plastic into useful aromatic chemicals at just 250°C, producing a liquid yield of 66% without coke or gas waste. This low-temperature method offers a promising way to convert polystyrene waste into valuable raw materials for industry.

2017 Journal of Saudi Chemical Society 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of cold plasma pretreatment on biodegradation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene (PS)

This study found that cold atmospheric plasma pretreatment of high-density polyethylene and polystyrene significantly increases surface wettability and promotes subsequent microbial biodegradation, suggesting plasma treatment as a practical strategy to accelerate plastic breakdown.

2024 Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the inhibitory mechanisms of polystyrene microplastics on thermophilic methanogens from the insights of microbial metabolite profiling and metagenomic analyses

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect methane production during the thermophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste. They found that increasing microplastic concentrations reduced methane yield by up to 47.8%, driven by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species that inhibited key enzymes in the digestion process. Metagenomic analysis revealed that microplastics downregulated genes involved in methane metabolism, providing new insights into how plastic contamination can disrupt waste treatment systems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Vacuum pyrolysis depolymerization of waste polystyrene foam into high-purity styrene using a spirit lamp flame for convenient chemical recycling

Researchers developed a simple method for recycling waste polystyrene foam by vacuum pyrolysis over a spirit lamp flame for just 20 minutes, producing styrene monomer at 98% purity without additional purification steps, enabling low-cost closed-loop chemical recycling.

2023 RSC Sustainability 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the role of polystyrene microplastics in waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion: Changes of organics transformation, microbial community and metabolic pathway

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics in sewage sludge affected the anaerobic digestion process used to treat waste, with low concentrations slightly boosting methane production but high concentrations reducing it by up to 11%. The microplastics disrupted key bacterial communities and enzyme activities needed for proper waste breakdown. This matters because wastewater treatment plants handle enormous volumes of microplastic-laden sludge, and impaired digestion could reduce treatment effectiveness and release more pollutants into the environment.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of the influence of polystyrene microplastics in wastewater on anode biofilm viability and electron transfer in microbial fuel cells performance

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics in wastewater reduce the electricity-generating ability of microbial fuel cells — devices that use bacteria to turn waste into power — by disrupting the bacterial biofilms that transfer electrons to electrodes. Carbon-based electrodes were more resistant to microplastic interference than metal ones, suggesting material choice matters when designing systems treating microplastic-contaminated water.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 3 citations
Article Tier 2

ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ НИЗЬКОТЕМПЕРАТУРНОГО КАТАЛІТИЧНОГО КРЕКІНГУ ПОЛІСТИРОЛУ ЗА АТМОСФЕРНОГО ТИСКУ

Researchers reviewed low-temperature catalytic cracking of polystyrene at atmospheric pressure as a chemical recycling strategy, emphasizing how it avoids toxic emissions and produces liquid oils and fuel additives. The approach is presented as more energy-efficient than mechanical or thermal recycling methods.

2024 Journal of Chemistry and Technologies 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Fuel cell and electrolyzer using plastic waste directly as fuel

Researchers demonstrated an electrochemical cell that converts solid plastic waste directly into electricity or hydrogen gas without incineration or gasification, using an acidic solution to dissolve polyurethane at 100–200 °C and oxidize it at a porous carbon anode.

2019 Waste Management 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Effects of Different Pretreatments on Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge Containing Polystyrene Microplastics

Researchers found that thermal and chemical pretreatments improved methane yields by 17-20% during anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge containing polystyrene microplastics, though chemical methods caused greater leaching of additives from the plastic particles.

2021 ACS ES&T Water 40 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review on the Thermochemical Treatment of Plastic Waste to Produce High Value Products for Different Applications

This review summarizes methods for converting plastic waste into valuable products using high-temperature chemical processes like pyrolysis and plasma technology. These approaches can produce hydrogen fuel, carbon nanotubes, and other useful materials from plastic that would otherwise become pollution. Reducing plastic waste through better recycling technology is important because most microplastic pollution originates from improperly managed plastic products.

2025 Materials Circular Economy 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Acoustic and thermal characterization of a novel sustainable material incorporating recycled microplastic waste

Researchers created a new eco-friendly foam material by embedding recovered marine microplastics into a bio-based matrix, producing an open-cell insulating material with strong acoustic and thermal properties. The innovation offers a potential path to upcycle hard-to-recycle mixed marine plastic waste into useful building and industrial insulation products.

2021 Sustainable materials and technologies 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Recovering hydrogen from PS, LDPE and HDPE microplastics via UV-driven photolysis and TiO2-based photocatalysis

Scientists used UV light — both direct photolysis and titanium dioxide photocatalysis — to break down polystyrene, LDPE, and HDPE microplastics and capture the released hydrogen gas as a potential clean fuel. The dataset documents hydrogen yields and conditions across the different plastic types and treatment methods. This approach could offer a dual benefit: destroying plastic waste while generating renewable hydrogen energy.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)