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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Upcycling Municipal Solid Waste to Polymers and Bioethanol
ClearEmerging Technologies for Converting Mixed Plastic Waste into Biodegradable Polymers
Scientists are developing new ways to turn mixed plastic waste (like food containers and shopping bags) into biodegradable materials that naturally break down instead of polluting the environment. This research review summarizes promising techniques that could help reduce the microplastics that end up in our food and water. If these methods can be made affordable and used widely, they could significantly cut plastic pollution and the health risks it poses to humans.
Emerging Technologies for Converting Mixed Plastic Waste into Biodegradable Polymers
Scientists are developing new ways to turn mixed plastic waste (like food containers and shopping bags all jumbled together) into materials that naturally break down in the environment, instead of lasting forever like regular plastic. This research review shows these emerging technologies could help solve our plastic pollution problem by preventing more microplastics from forming and contaminating our food and water. If these methods can be scaled up, they could transform how we handle plastic waste and reduce health risks from tiny plastic particles that are increasingly found in our bodies.
An Integrated Pyrolysis Approach for Hydrogen Production and Microplastic Elimination from Sewage Sludge Experimental and Analytical Perspectives [dataset]
Scientists found a way to remove tiny plastic particles called microplastics from sewage sludge (waste from water treatment plants) while also producing clean hydrogen fuel. The high-heat process completely eliminated microplastics that were present in the sludge, which is important because these tiny plastics can contaminate our soil and water when sewage sludge is used as fertilizer. This technique could help protect our environment from plastic pollution while creating renewable energy at the same time.
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.
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.
Upcycling of waste plastics: strategies, status-quo, and prospects
This review examines strategies for upcycling waste plastics into valuable products as an alternative to landfilling and incineration, which generate microplastics and carbon emissions respectively. Researchers survey chemical recycling methods including pyrolysis, gasification, and catalytic processes that can convert common plastics like PET, polyethylene, and polystyrene into fuels, chemicals, and new materials. The study highlights the urgent need for more effective recycling technologies to address the growing gap between plastic production and waste management capacity.
Evaluation of Waste-Plastic Pyrolysis Oil as a Potential Feedstock for Lubricant Base Oil Production via Hydroprocessing
Scientists found a way to turn plastic waste into high-quality lubricant oil by heating it up and treating it with special metal catalysts. This process converted over 88% of the waste plastic into useful oil that could replace petroleum-based lubricants. This breakthrough could help reduce plastic pollution while creating valuable products, though more research is needed before it becomes widely available.
Upcycling of polyethylene to gasoline through a self-supplied hydrogen strategy in a layered self-pillared zeolite
Researchers developed a special zeolite material (a porous mineral catalyst) that converts polyethylene plastic waste into high-quality gasoline with over 80% yield, without needing expensive metals or added hydrogen. This breakthrough offers a practical pathway for recycling one of the most common plastics into usable fuel, potentially reducing plastic waste and reliance on fossil fuel extraction.
Biotechnological model for ubiquitous mixed petroleum- and bio-based plastics degradation and upcycling into bacterial nanocellulose
Researchers demonstrated a biotechnological approach for breaking down mixed petroleum-based and bio-based plastic waste and converting it into valuable bacterial nanocellulose. The system used engineered microbial communities to simultaneously degrade different plastic types that are typically difficult to recycle together. The study presents a promising model for sustainable end-of-life management of mixed plastic waste streams, addressing a key challenge in reducing plastic pollution.
Catalytic Amounts of an Antibacterial Monomer Enable the Upcycling of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Waste
Scientists developed a new method to recycle PET plastic waste (commonly used in bottles) into high-value antibacterial material using only small amounts of a special monomer. This approach addresses both plastic pollution and the need for antimicrobial materials, while avoiding the biotoxicity problems of traditional metal-based antibacterial agents. The technique represents a promising way to upcycle plastic waste rather than simply discarding it.
Cutting-edge developments in plastic biodegradation and upcycling via engineering approaches
This review examines how engineering approaches from synthetic biology and metabolic engineering can improve both the breakdown and upcycling of plastic waste. Researchers found that various microorganisms and their enzymes can degrade plastics and convert the resulting monomers into valuable products like biosurfactants, bioplastics, and biochemicals. The study suggests that optimizing microbial pathways and using hybrid chemo-biological approaches could help build a more sustainable circular plastic economy.
Chemoenzymatic Photoreforming: A Sustainable Approach for Solar-fuel Generation from Plastic Feedstocks
Researchers developed a hybrid process combining enzyme pretreatment with solar-driven photoreforming to convert polyester plastic waste into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals under mild conditions. This approach offers a way to clean up plastic pollution while generating renewable energy simultaneously.
Single-Step Electrochemical Upcycling of PET: Waste to Value-Added Chemicals, Oral Presentation
Researchers developed a single-step electrochemical method to upcycle PET plastic waste into value-added chemicals and organic materials, targeting the over 70% of plastic that ends up in landfills or oceans where it breaks down into microplastics.
Two-step conversion of polyethylene into recombinant proteins using a microbial platform
Researchers engineered bacteria to break down polyethylene plastic — one of the most common types of plastic pollution — and convert it into useful proteins, demonstrating a promising biological pathway for upcycling plastic waste into valuable materials.
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.
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.
Novel robust upcycling approach for the manufacture of value-added polymers based on mixed (poly)urethane scraps
This study developed a novel process for recycling mixed polyurethane scraps into new value-added polymers. Upcycling thermoset plastics that are currently unrecyclable could prevent these materials from fragmenting into microplastics in the environment.
Upcycling Waste PET into Functional Multiblock Copolymers through Controlled Macromolecular Design
Scientists found a new way to recycle plastic water bottles (PET) by breaking them down and rebuilding them into stronger, more flexible materials that could replace regular plastics in many products. This recycling method creates materials that are just as strong as original plastic but stretch much better without breaking, making them more useful and durable. This breakthrough could help reduce plastic waste while creating better materials, though more research is needed to understand any health effects of these recycled plastics.
Toward Microbial Recycling and Upcycling of Plastics: Prospects and Challenges
This review examines the prospects and challenges of using microorganisms to recycle and upcycle plastic waste, assessing the current state of microbial degradation research across major polymer types. The authors identify metabolic engineering and synthetic biology as key tools needed to make biological plastic recycling economically viable at scale.
Polymers Recycling: Upcycling Techniques. an Overview
This paper is not about microplastics in a research sense; it is an overview of polymer recycling and upcycling techniques, mentioning microplastic accumulation briefly as motivation but not investigating microplastics directly.
Biological Upcycling of Plastics Waste
This review summarizes research on using biological systems -- including enzymes, bacteria, and engineered microbes -- to break down plastic waste into useful chemicals and materials. Rather than traditional recycling that produces lower-quality plastic each time, biological approaches can convert waste plastics into valuable products like biodegradable plastics, fuels, and specialty chemicals, potentially reducing the flow of plastics into the environment where they break into harmful microplastics.
Plastic Waste Recycling, Applications, and Future Prospects for a Sustainable Environment
This review examines emerging plastic waste recycling strategies including microwave, plasma, and supercritical water conversion, highlighting applications in construction, fuel production, and nanomaterials for a circular economy.
Chemical Recycling of Mixed Plastics in Electronic Waste Using Solvent-Based Processing
Researchers developed a solvent-based chemical recycling process capable of separating and recovering mixed plastics from electronic shredder residue, demonstrating that targeted solvent systems can selectively dissolve specific polymer types and enable higher-quality recycling of e-waste plastics.
Enhanced Methanolysis of Waste PET for Sustainable Production of Dimethyl Terephthalate and Cyclic Arylboronic Esters
Researchers developed a method using boric acid to improve the chemical recycling of waste PET plastic via methanolysis, producing high-purity monomers that can be used in new plastic production. More efficient PET recycling reduces the amount of plastic waste that breaks down into microplastics in the environment.