Value-added products from waste plastics using dissolution technique

Abstract

Non-biodegradable plastics polymers, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are non-biodegradable and release toxic gases into the environment on combustion and after long use. This study includes the screening of a series of organic solvents for solubility parameters of LDPE and PS. The karanja biodiesel is also used as one of the solvents for the dissolution of plastics. In order to decide the best solvent to be used for the dissolution of plastic polymer, rate of dissolution, safety aspect, and cost of the solvent were considered. The solubility factor of LDPE and PS is found to be much closed to acetone, chlorobenzene, and karanja biodiesel. Out of them, karanja biodiesel is considered due to its environment friendly behavior. The output of the study is with three value-added products as high heating value fuel, good composite for low-density cement, and an oil-adsorbent. The dissolution products obtained are chemically analyzed using FTIR and GC–MS techniques to elucidate their composition. The BET and TGA techniques are used for physical analysis, viz., the porosity and thermal stability of the products respectively. The findings of dissolution methods in this article are compared with the conventional pyrolysis techniques for these plastics treatment.