Plastic Solid Waste Research Articles

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Solid Waste Management Systems in African Countries: A Systematic Review

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a vital tool for evaluating the environmental burden of solid waste. This study investigated the outcomes of selected studies that applied the LCA methodology in assessing the environmental consequences of solid waste management (SWM) systems in Africa. Thirteen process-based LCA studies on SWM were reviewed, drawing from established criteria in databases such as SCOPUS, Elsevier, and Google Scholar. These studies were distributed across various African countries, with three conducted in Mauritius and Nigeria each, two in Zimbabwe and South Africa each, and one in Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda, respectively. The evaluated parameters included aspects such as goal and scope, functional unit, system boundary, impact assessment categories, and sensitivity analysis. The findings revealed that majority of the studies employed similar waste management scenarios to determine the most environment-friendly, yet they differed considerably in some parameters. Climate change and global warming were the most assessed impact categories. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and plastic waste were the leading waste categories. MSW typically comprises paper, bottles, metal, plastics, glass, organics, and mixed waste proportions. The study also stated that the lack of reliable data on solid waste was a significant challenge faced by African countries in LCA studies. The paper’s findings highlighted that a significant number of the studies, particularly in Nigeria, did not incorporate sensitivity analysis into their assessments, a crucial component for result interpretation. Consequently, the study emphasizes the importance of conducting more LCA research studies in African countries to produce pertinent data on SWM.

On tertiary recycled nanographene-reinforced polyvinylidene fluoride composite matrix

The development of innovative, cost-effective, and recyclable consumer products for building infrastructure plays a significant role in attaining sustainable development goals (SDGs) at national and international levels. This is so because the value-added products obtained from recycled thermoplastic material not only decrease the burdens of waste management but also bought forward the advanced applications of material processing routes for novel consumer applications. This study highlights the investigations performed on tertiary (3°) recycling (R) of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thermoplastic solid plastic waste to prepare feedstock for 3D printing applications. 3D printing-based manufacturing has a significant role in industrial and infrastructure development. The nano-graphene (nG) reinforced PVDF composite matrix prepared by 3°R was tested for acceptable 3D printing-based manufacturing practices. The results of the study outlined that 3°R PVDF-10%nG (by weight proportion) may be used for the fabrication of functional prototypes by material extrusion based 3D printing.

Reusable scrub caps are cost-effective and help reduce the climate footprint of surgery.

As the US healthcare sector contributes to 5-10% of national CO2 emissions, with a substantial contribution from surgical services, a collective effort is important to minimize the climate footprint of surgery. Solid plastic waste generated from single-use items in operating rooms is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. To address this problem, we implemented a pilot study to replace single-use scrub caps with reusable caps. Ninety-two surgical trainees at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, were provided reusable personalized scrub caps. Over 6months, their use of the reusable cap was compared with corresponding use of disposable single-use caps. We then used the cost of raw materials, fabric and cap manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-life/waste treatment to perform an economic and environmental burden analysis. After 6months of reusable scrub cap use, 33 participants (51.6%) reported that due to their use of a reusable scrub cap, their utilization of disposable bouffant or caps had decreased by 76-100%. This was associated with a significant reduction in the use of single-use caps after adjusting for surgical case volume. The carbon footprint of single-use scrub caps was significantly higher than reusable caps during the study period. Reusable scrub cap usage also strongly correlated with substantial reductions in energy consumption and freshwater toxicity. Reusable personalized cloth scrub caps are cost-effective and can help reduce surgery's carbon footprint by reducing waste generated from disposable scrub cap use. More programs should consider replacing single-use polypropylene caps with reusable scrub caps for their operating room staff.

Feasibility of utilization of recycled HDPE in manhole covers for urban traffic areas and industrial zones

The consumption of plastic raw materials has been exponentially growing throughout the world in the last decade and so has, in the same proportion, their associated waste. Recycling through the mechanical treatment of the heavy fraction of these plastics is the most economic and the safest alternative to use this waste and to recirculate it for reuse within the same industry or for other related industries located near the place where the waste is generated. In this paper, a study of characterization and post-processing of recycled high density polyethylene received by a hazardous waste manager in southern Spain is presented, an area in which containers, Intermediate Bulk Containers, and drums, originally used for oil products from refineries and petrochemical industries nearby, are employed. These high density polyethylene materials are validated to meet the requirements of the harmonized standards to be used as self-supply in the production of manhole covers. EN 124–6:2015 standard allows the use of plastic materials such as PE or PP, even using material externally reprocessed, such as material derived from thermoplastic products that have not been previously used as lids or manhole covers. Class A-15 and B-125 of the standard are oriented for the construction of these types of elements to cover or close in certain urban spaces such as pedestrian areas, parking areas or multi-story car parks for vehicles. The study shows that the recycled material fully complies with the density; it keeps unalterable during fire test after application of the coating, there are no adverse effects on artificial ageing; the decrease of the average value of the tensile impact strength by 21.84%; and achieves 6 mm of maximum deflection against the test load Fp (45.3 MPa). Therefore, it can be considered a valid scenario for the effective use of solid plastic waste in products that make up part of the urban or industrial areas, as an example of complete circularity material and offers a valid alternative to the end-of-waste condition.

Carbon Nanomaterials from Polyolefin Waste: Effective Catalysts for Quinoline Degradation through Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation

Quinoline (QN) is highly toxic and carcinogenic and has been detected in soil, groundwater, and biological tissues. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown promise to address its degradation in wastewater treatment, with catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) being highlighted due to its cost-effectiveness and mild operation. However, developing active and inexpensive catalysts is crucial for CWPO’s effectiveness. Another pressing issue is the accumulation of mixed, dirty plastic solid waste (PSW), particularly polyolefins used in packaging. Although recycling rates have increased, much plastic packaging remains in landfills. However, polyolefins can be converted into carbon-based nanostructured materials (CNMs), such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using PSW as a carbon precursor. While many studies focus on CNT preparation, their application is often overlooked. In this context, this work proposes the preparation of CNMs, particularly CNTs, through CVD using a single-stage pyrolysis reactor. Polyolefins (LDPE, HDPE, and PP), both individually and in a mixture simulating PSW, were used as carbon sources. Given a sufficiently high temperature, the desired CNT architecture was successfully synthesized regardless of the starting polymer. These CNMs were then tested as catalysts for CWPO in simulated wastewater containing QN. The results showed a rapid degradation of QN (30–120 min) and high removals of total organic carbon (TOC) and aromatic compounds (75% and >90%, respectively), demonstrating the applicability of PSW-derived CNTs in the CWPO process for QN abatement.

A sustainable green reverse logistics plan for plastic solid waste management using TOPSIS method.

Recycling solid plastic waste is helpful for resource utilisation in a sustainable manner, and this can lead to reverse logistics to recover waste in supply chain management. In developing economies, it is very essential to recover waste and recycle it, as mismanagement of it could hasten the development of negative socioeconomic and environmental issues. This paper investigates plastic waste recycling by means of reverse logistics management. We feature Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), which is a multi-criteria decision-making approach to selecting a suitable warehouse that will assist the decision-maker and supply the product to the re-manufacturing cell by inspecting the waste. The paper also focuses on the carbon emissions that are emitted during re-manufacturing through a mathematical model that minimises the total cost and total carbon emissions. A case study of the plastic re-manufacturing industry in Tripura, India, is shown here to present the steps of the decision support system. The model is programmed with real-life data from the case study and yields a total cost of Rs. 2894.37 and total emissions of 414.15 gm/lt, when the disposal cost is considered; without it, the total cost is Rs. 2668.69 and the total emissions are 413.54 gm/lt. The results obtained are promising for reducing carbon emissions from the recycling process of plastic waste at a lower cost. This research will also help the environment cope with plastic waste, which has become a threat to nature, as well as carbon emissions that come from the industry. Finally, some managerial insights and suitable analyses with pictorial representation are proposed.

Catalytic Pyrolysis of Waste Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Carry Bags to Fuels: Experimental and Exergy Analyses

The present investigation reports the results of experiments related to the conversion of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) waste carry bags to fuel through an economic catalytic pyrolysis method in a batch reactor using zinc oxide (ZnO) as the catalyst. Plastics are highly beneficial for the day-to-day activities of human beings; however, their decomposition is limited due to their strong covalent bonding. Degradation of these big molecules into smaller ones or monomers has been attempted by several researchers in recent decades, with limited success. Pyrolysis is one of the ideas used to convert plastics, with the crowded structure of polymers, into fuel rather than small molecules. Among these plastics, LDPE is widely used as carry bags throughout the world, and, herein, the results of catalytic pyrolysis of the conversion of LDPE into fuel are reported. A compact laboratory-scale batch reactor, specially designed at our laboratory, was used to carry out the pyrolysis process. Different dosages of ZnO were used as a catalyst to carry out the pyrolysis at a specific temperature. The optimal dosage of ZnO for a 50 g waste LDPE batch was found to be 0.6 g to get the maximum oil yield. The yielded oil was analyzed chemically through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and a Reformulyzer M4 Hydrocarbon Group Type Analyzer. Evaluation of physical and chemical exergy along with exergetic efficiency of the process was carried out. The described experiments and the results represent a small but significant step toward curbing the menace of plastic solid wastes, which are degrading the environment and human life worryingly, and allowing them to be utilized for generating low-cost fuel for transportation and other applications.

Pollution Status of Inland Waterways Serving as Receptacles to Plastic Waste in Rivers State, Nigeria

This study aimed at ascertaining the physicochemical characteristics of selected water bodies receiving solid plastic waste in Rivers State, Nigeria. Surface water and sediment samples were analysed for physicochemical parameters. Water, sediment and fish samples were monitored for presence of polychlorinated bisphenols (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). All physicochemical parameters monitored in Bonny River water and sediment samples were within WHO acceptable. However, the concentrations of nitrate and phosphate (62.675 and 1.28 ppm) in New Calabar River water samples were above WHO limits of 10 and 1 ppm respectively. The Cd values (0.045-8.27 mg/l) at both locations exceeded WHO 0.003 mg/l limit. Likewise, Mn concentrations (6.02-15.5 mg/l) exceeded WHO 5.5 mg/l. Mercury (0.075-1.39 mg/l) was the lowest occurring heavy metal in the water samples but the concentration was still high enough for concern, as the possibility for bioaccumulation in fish species in the river was high. Chloride levels (318.375-423.045 mg/l) in the water samples exceeded WHO limit of 250 mg/l for drinking water. The samples also had high iron content (0.635-16.19 mg/l). PAHs concentrations (252.0155-3533.14 ppm) in the water samples far exceeded the safe level of 10 mg/l for drinking water standard. PCBs levels in all fish samples (21.56-83.08 ppm) exceeded WHO maximum limit of 0.2 mg/kg Surface water, sediment and fish sampled contained objectionable concentrations of heavy metals, PCBs and PAHs. Users of these rivers for domestic purposes are at high risk of chemical poisoning from heavy metals, PCBs and PAHs.

Thermal and Catalytic Pyrolysis of Real Plastic Solid Waste as a Sustainable Strategy for Circular Economy

ABSTRACT The management of plastic waste is a serious environmental problem, therefore numerous strategies have been explored to reuse/recover these materials, avoiding their disposal in landfills. In particular, research has focused on thermochemical conversion processes and especially on pyrolysis processes. Therefore, in this study, a real Plastic Solid Waste (PSW) from COREPLA (Italian national consortium for collection, recycling, and recovery of plastic packaging), deprived of PET, PVC, and PTFE was used as feedstock for batch thermal and catalytic pyrolysis tests. The experiments were performed in a micro-reactor under nitrogen flow, using ɣ-alumina as catalyst. The effects of a variation in pyrolysis temperature (450–650°C) on the gaseous, condensable, and solid products were assessed. The thermal and catalytic pyrolysis tests of LDPE at 550°C were also investigated, as a representative surrogate of the plastics materials found in PSW. Preliminary results highlight that gas and condensate yields increase with pyrolysis temperature (with or without γ–alumina). The condensate products of all experiments were an oily wax made up mainly of long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons (mostly diesel-like fraction, C12-C20). The qualitative composition of gaseous and condensable products differs between thermal and catalytic tests. However, the alumina leads to a higher formation of aromatic hydrocarbons.

An experimental assessment on a diesel engine powered by blends of waste-plastic-derived pyrolysis oil with diesel

The utilization of plastic solid wastes for sustainable energy production is a crucial aspect of the circular economy. This study focuses on pyrolysis as an effective method to convert this feedstock into renewable drop-in fuel. To achieve this, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of feedstock composition, pyrolysis process parameters, and the physicochemical characteristics of the resulting fuel, all correlated with engine combustion parameters. Considering this full value chain, this study provides the first unbiased and up-to-date benchmark of polypropylene and polystyrene pyrolysis oils (PPO and PSO) produced in an industrial-grade batch reactor. The pyrolysis process was optimized to achieve ultra-high liquid yield levels of 92% for PPO and 98% for PSO with minimum energy consumption. After post-processing, blending with diesel, and normative fuel analytics, combustion/emission tests involving 20 species preceded under fully controllable conditions using a state-of-the-art single-cylinder research engine.The fuel analysis results revealed significant disparities between the properties of PPO and PSO. PPO exhibited a diverse carbon structure, resulting in very low density and high volatility. On the other hand, PSO was predominantly composed of aromatics, leading to low viscosity and poor auto-ignition properties. Engine tests showed that PPO blends exhibited combustion characteristics similar to diesel, while PSO blends exhibited significant differences, particularly during the premixed combustion stage attributed to pilot injection. Following the combustion response, the addition of PPO had minimal impact on emissions, while PSO acted as an emission enhancer, resulting in over twofold increase in particulate matter at high loads. Consequently, PSO showed elevated carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions due to the higher contribution of aromatics. Ultimately, this study challenges the prevailing perception of plastic-derived fuels as “dirty”. By implementing feedstock segregation to minimize polystyrene content, it is possible to achieve a fossil substitute level of 40% while meeting all emission and safety regulations for diesel engines with a minimum economic burden.

Forecasting the effects of municipal solid plastic waste generation and streaming using system dynamics: A case study in Dubai

To effectively manage municipal solid plastic waste (MSPW), municipalities need to select an appropriate combination of policies and technologies. Numerous policies and technologies are inputs for this selection problem, whereas decision-makers pursue several economic and environmental outcomes. The MSPW flow-controlling variables serve as an intermediary between the inputs and outputs of this selection problem. Examples of the flow-controlling, mediating variables include the source-separated and incinerated MSPW percentages. This study proposes a system dynamics (SD) model that anticipates the influence of these mediating variables on multiple outputs. The outputs include volumes of four MSPW streams and three sustainability-related externalities: GHG emissions reduction, net energy savings, and net profit. Using the SD model, decision-makers can determine the best levels for the mediating variables based on the desired outputs. Consequently, decision-makers can identify the MSPW system stages at which they must choose policies and technologies. Additionally, the values of the mediating variables will help clarify for decision-makers how strict they should be when imposing policies and how much to invest in technologies at the selected MSPW system stages. The SD model is applied to Dubai's MSPW problem. A sensitivity analysis experiment conducted on Dubai's MSPW system demonstrates that the earlier an action is taken, the better the results will be achieved. Consequently, reducing municipal solid waste should take priority, followed by increasing source separation, then post-separation, and finally, incineration with energy recovery. The results of another experiment employing a full factorial design with four mediating variables indicate that recycling would impact GHG emissions and energy reduction values more than incineration with energy recovery. However, these savings are global in nature.

Valuation of Plastic Waste as a Community Circular Economy Strategy in the Municipality of Choco–Colombia

A business solution is proposed for the accumulation of waste in the Municipality of Choco without prior treatment through the establishment of a center for the reception, classification, recovery and use of solid plastic waste in the Municipality of Quibdo, which would optimize and expand the management of plastic waste. In this study, the basic diagnosis of the practices that are currently carried out in Quibdo is evaluated with the appropriation of the knowledge of the population, the technical structuring of the conditions of production of plastic wood is carried out from the management of plastic waste, recognition of the market for waste generated as an alternative for development and sustainable growth and the financial feasibility of the project and the profitability of each of the investment plans for its implementation. The results of the investigation include the identification of weaknesses and opportunities in waste management practices and the proposal of two investment plans for the establishment of the center. It is concluded that investment plan 2 would require 46,590.50 USD less than investment plan 1, equivalent to a 2.21% return compared to investment plan 1.

Recycling Polyethylene into High‐Value Porous Carbon Composites for Microwave Absorption

The recycling of solid plastic waste has been a major challenge to the sustainable development of today's society. Herein, one of the commonly wasted plastic raw materials, linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE), is used as the carbon source to explore high‐value porous carbon composites for microwave absorption applications. The carbon composites are simply obtained through the delicate carbonization of LLDPE, followed by in situ introducing Ni nanoparticles (NPs) into the carbon monolith. The porous carbon composites show a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of −52.2 dB at 1.65 mm, which demonstrates excellent microwave absorption properties of the wasted plastic‐derived carbon materials. In addition, the anticorrosion performance of the carbon composites is evaluated by electrochemical technique. Above all, the current study provides a new idea and simple strategy for processing wasted plastics to high‐value porous carbon materials.

Review and Design Overview of Plastic Waste-to-Pyrolysis Oil Conversion with Implications on the Energy Transition

Plastics are cheap, lightweight, and durable and can be easily molded into many different products, shapes, and sizes, hence their wide applications globally, leading to increased production and use. Plastic consumption and production have been growing since its first production in the 1950s. About 4% of global oil and gas production is being used as feedstock for plastics, and 3–4% is used to provide energy for their manufacture. Plastics have a wide range of applications because they are versatile and relatively cheap. This study presents an in-depth analysis of plastic solid waste (PSW). Plastic wastes can be technically used for oil production because the calorific value of the plastics is quite comparable to that of oil, making this option an attractive alternative. Oil can be produced from plastic wastes via thermal degradation and catalytic degradation, while gasification can be used to produce syngas. Plastic pyrolysis can be used to address the twin problem of plastic waste disposal and depletion of fossil fuel reserves. The demand for plastics has continued to rise since their first production in the 1950s due to their multipurpose, lightness, inexpensiveness, and durable nature. There are four main avenues available for plastic solid waste treatment, namely, reextrusion as a primary treatment, mechanical treatment as secondary measures, chemical treatment as a tertiary measure, and energy recovery as a quaternary measure. The pyrolysis oil has properties that are close to clean fuel and is, therefore, a substitute to fresh fossil fuel for power generation, transport, and other applications. The study showed that plastic wastes pyrolysis offers an alternative avenue for plastic waste disposal and an alternative source of fossil fuel to reduce the total demand of virgin oil. Through plastic pyrolysis, plastic wastes are thermally converted to fuel by degrading long-chain polymers into small complex molecules in the absence of oxygen, making it a technically and economically feasible process for waste plastic recycling. The process is advantageous because presorting is not required, and the plastic waste can be directly fed without pretreatment prior to the process. Products of plastic pyrolysis are pyrolysis oil, a hydrocarbon-rich gas, with a heating value of 25–45 MJ/kg, which makes it ideal for process energy recovery. Hence, the pyrolysis gas can be fed back to the process to extract the energy for the process-heating purpose, which substantially reduces the reliance on external heating sources.

Polyolefin-derived carbon nanotubes as magnetic catalysts for wet peroxide oxidation of paracetamol in aqueous solutions

This work deals with developing feasible valorization technologies to prepare carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from plastic solid waste and demonstrate their application in catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO). CNTs were synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) at 850 ºC, considering low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) as carbon precursors representative of urban plastic solid waste. Iron oxide nanoparticles supported in alumina, previously synthesized by sol-gel, were used as catalysts in the CCVD process. TEM micrographs allow us to determine 41 nm as the average outer diameter of the CNTs and to visualize magnetic iron nanoparticles (ca. 10 nm) embedded inside the CNTs (ca. 6.4 % of content measured as ashes). These magnetic nanoparticles were kept in the CNT structure even after the purification of the CNTs with sulphuric acid, allowing to obtain magnetic CNTs. All purified and non-purified CNTs prepared from the polyolefins were assessed as catalysts in CWPO of paracetamol (PCM), used as a model pharmaceutical contaminant in water at CPCM,0 = 100 μg mL−1 (CH2O2,0 = 472 μg mL−1, CCNT = 2.5 g L−1, pH0 = 3.5 and T = 80 °C). The concentrations of PCM, H2O2, aromatic and total phenolic compounds were monitored for 24 h. All CNTs showed catalytic activity, allowing the complete degradation of PCM at 6 h of reaction time. The stability and reusability of materials are tested and proved in CWPO.

SBBGR technology for reducing waste sludge production during plastic recycling process: Assessment of potential increase in sludge hazardousness

Sludge production in the wastewater treatment sector is consistently increasing and represents a critical environmental and economic issue. This study evaluated an unconventional approach for treating wastewater generated from the cleaning of non-hazardous plastic solid waste during the plastic recycling process. The proposed scheme was based on sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR) technology, which was compared with the activated sludge-based treatment currently in operation. These treatment technologies were compared regarding sludge quality, specific sludge production, and effluent quality to highlight whether the reduced sludge production shown by SBBGR corresponded to an increase in the concentration of hazardous compounds in the sludge. The SBBGR technology showed remarkable removal efficiencies (TSS, VSS, and NH3 > 99 %; COD >90 %; TN and TP > 80 %) and a sludge production six-fold lower than the conventional plant (in terms of kgTSS/kg CODremoved). Biomass from the SBBGR did not show a significant accumulation of organic micropollutants (i.e., long-chain hydrocarbons, chlorinated pesticides and chlorobenzenes, PCB, PCDD/F, PAH, chlorinated and brominated aliphatic compounds, and aromatic solvents), whereas a certain accumulation of heavy metals was observed. Furthermore, an initial attempt to compare the operating costs of the two treatment approaches revealed that the SBBGR technology would provide 38 % savings.

Towards a lumped approach for solid plastic waste gasification: Polystyrene pyrolysis

In a circular economy perspective, solid plastic wastes (SPW) are a valuable source of chemicals, energy vectors and fuels. Chemical recycling through pyrolysis, gasification, and partial oxidation are promising alternatives to incineration and landfill disposal, allowing efficient exploitation of SPW. Modelling the combustion and gasification both at the particle and reactor scale requires first the definition of a suitable condensed phase pyrolysis mechanisms for each constituent. This work proposes a semi-detailed kinetic model for polystyrene (PS) pyrolysis. Following our recent work on polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), the model is based on the functional group approach firstly developed for polyvinylchloride (PVC) and biomass pyrolysis aiming at a consistent description of a wide palette of SPW components. The proposed approach retains an accurate description of low molecular weight species while representing high molecular weight species through their chemical functionalities only. The resulting liquid-phase model accounts for 34 species and 440 reactions and is attached to this paper together with the complementary gas-phase model. Model validation by a comprehensive comparison with experimental data proves its capability of predicting both mass loss and product distribution profiles with comparable accuracy to more expensive detailed models from the literature. The proposed model, together with other available subsets in the CRECK kinetic framework (i.e., biomass, PVC, PE, PP), offers a powerful tool for investigating key aspects in thermochemical recycling technologies thus supporting optimal reactor design. These aspects include mixture interactions (SPW and SPW/biomass mixtures), secondary cracking, catalytic, and gasification reactions.

Evaluation of Biomass Solid Waste as Raw Material for Preparation of Asphalt Mixture

At present, the resource utilization of solid waste in China is facing prominent problems such as high production intensity, insufficient utilization, and low added value of products. The preparation of biomass composites from biomass solid waste and plastic solid waste reduces not only environmental pollution and energy consumption but also promotes the high-value utilization of solid waste. So, the characterization and preparation experiments of samples with two different biomass are carried out. The wheat straw fiber and corn straw fiber were added into the bio-asphalt mixture with the content of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4%, respectively, with the content of 9% and 12% bio-heavy oil. The physical properties and rheological properties of asphalt were analyzed and evaluated by three indexes and a dynamic shear rheological test. Through the rutting test and immersion Marshall test, high-temperature performance and biological asphalt mixture’s water stability were evaluated. The results show that straw fiber can improve bio-asphalt mixture’s road performance, especially the performance of high-temperature rutting. When the fiber content of bio-asphalt with 9% bio-heavy oil content is 0.3%, the physical properties and rheological properties of bio-asphalt are the best. Corn straw fiber’s influence on bio-asphalt mixture was better than that of wheat straw fiber.

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane rigid foam by using feedstocks received from renewable and recyclable resources

The mimicry reactions used in the industrial field based on pure materials to obtain products is very important in order to achieve a circular economy and a green environment. This time around, the idea is that all raw materials are wastes. In addition to synthesizing biodiesel, this study aims to synthesize polyurethane rigid foams from recyclable materials such as liquid wastes and solid plastic wastes. The study follows preparation of a new class of biopolyols by reacting a mixture of crude glycerin-based polyol and epoxidized used cooking oil with polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, and bisphenol-polycarbonate wastes. Then, fabrication of polyurethane rigid foams by blending synthesized biopolyols with commercial polyol at ratios 20%, 40%, and 60% occurs. The properties of biopolyols and fabricated rigid foams was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectrometer, thermal gravimetric analyzer, scanning electron microscope, and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer. The results show that the biopolyols are valuable products for polyurethane manufactures. Moreover, the fabricated rigid foams show nonsignificant changes at the commercial and industrial level.

Experimental Investigation on Reinforced Concrete with Plastic Fiber

Abstract: Most of the buildings in the whole world is made of concrete which makes it one of the most extensively used construction material in the world. These materials are often used in residential buildings, commercial buildings, building foundations, roads etc. Solid waste management, especially solid waste plastic is one of the major environmental concerns in the world today. The plastic waste which we have used in our experiment is collected from local plastic waste management center, the purpose of this study was to enable the practical use of this material as an alternative to the existing building material. Recyclable Plastics are used as a replacement to the fine aggregates. The Recyclable Plastics were partially replaced in place of fine aggregates by 0, 30%, 35%, 40% and 45%. M25 grade of concrete was designed and tested. The mix design for different types of mixes were prepared by replacing the fine aggregates at different percentages of Recyclable Plastics. Experimental investigations like workability, Compressive strength test, split tensile strength test, Flexural strength test for different concrete mixes with different percentages of waste crushed after 7, 14 and 28-days curing period has done. It has been observed that the workability increases with increase in the percentage of replacement of Recyclable Plastics increases. The strength of concrete also increases with the Recyclable Plastics up to 35% percentage.