It’s not just oceans: scientists find plastic is also polluting the air

via The Guardian

plastic pollution
Photo by Vitaly Vlasov on Pexels.com

For several years scientists were puzzled why Delhi was more susceptible to thick smogs than other polluted cities such as Beijing. New research links this to tiny chloride particles in the air that help water droplets to form. Globally, chloride particles are mainly found close to coasts, due to sea spray, but the air in Delhi and over inland India contains much more than expected.

At first, the sources were thought to be illegal factory units around Delhi that recycle electronics and those that use strong hydrochloric acid to clean and process metals. These are certainly part of the problem, but new measurements have revealed another source.

Read the full story here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/26/not-just-oceans-plastic-polluting-air-delhi-smog

Sea turtle: Sentinels and victims of plastic pollution in the Adriatic Sea

via EurakAlert

Sea turtles are witnesses and victims of the high level of plastic pollution of the Adriatic Sea. A group of researchers at the University of Bologna analysed 45 turtles hospitalised at Fondazione Cetacea in Riccione and found plastic debris in their faeces. Besides confirming the role of turtles as ideal sentinels to monitor plastic pollution in the sea, the results of their analysis – published in the journal Frontiers of Marine Medicine – crucially show how the plastic debris in their intestines can dangerously alter their microbiota, eventually compromising their health.

Read the full story here: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/udb-sts022521.php


Domino Plastics Supplies Recycled Plastic for Paving Project

via Canadian Plastics

The U.S.-based Plastics Industry Association has collaborated with Dutch multinational chemical company LyondellBasell to use the use of the equivalent of 71,000 plastic retail bags to pave 2,885 square yards of the LyondellBasell Cincinnati Technology Center parking lot in Ohio using recycled polyethylene (rPE).

LyondellBasell partnered with Colas Solutions, the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), and Barrett Paving Materials Inc. to bring the repaving project to fruition – Colas Solutions identified an rPE supplier, Domino Plastics; formulated an rPE modified asphalt mixture based on advanced performance testing methods; and then coordinated production and paving with sister company Barrett Paving.

Read the full story here: https://www.canplastics.com/features/plastics-industry-association-lyondellbasell-collaborate-on-first-paving-project-using-recycled-pplastic/


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    Advanced recycling strategies needed to clean up plastic pollution problem, says expert

    via Phys.org

    Sustainability across the entire value chain—rather than advances in technology alone—is required to solve the United States’ plastic waste problems, according to a new brief from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

    The report by Rachel Meidl, fellow in energy and environment at the Baker Institute, argues that the U.S., which is one of the largest contributors to global pollution and has among the lowest recycling rates, needs to improve the quality of its plastics and the economics of collection, sorting and waste management.

    Read the full story here: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-advanced-recycling-strategies-plastic-pollution.html


    New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency


    via The Academic Times

    German chemists have developed two sustainable plastic alternatives to high-density polyethylene that can be chemically recycled more easily and nearly 10 times as efficiently, thanks to “break points” engineered into their molecular structures.

    Read the full story here: https://academictimes.com/new-plant-based-plastics-can-be-chemically-recycled-with-near-perfect-efficiency/


    Fighting the plastics plague, one canoe-full at a time

    via the Bay Journal

    John Naylor eased his 16-foot fiberglass canoe into the Susquehanna River near a small archipelago of forested and ever-changing mudflat islands known as the Conejohela Flats, once the domain of Native Americans and still a vital stop for migrating shorebirds.

    It’s a placid and beautiful spot on the lower Susquehanna between Lancaster and York counties, PA. But the York city resident was there this day to nibble at a growing sheen of ugliness — namely, single-use plastic containers, especially discarded water bottles.

    Read the full story here: https://www.bayjournal.com/news/people/fighting-the-plastics-plague-one-canoe-full-at-a-time/article_de8ac85a-6a49-11eb-9dbc-cf4d24cc71ee.html

    The Alliance to End Plastic Waste Calls for Submissions for Recycling Technologies

    via Alliance to End Plastic Waste

    Call for project proposals with innovative solutions in chemical recycling technologies to unlock value for hard-to-recycle plastics

    SINGAPORE, 10 FEBRUARY 2021, The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (the Alliance), an international non-profit organisation, has launched a request for proposals (RFP) calling for projects related to Chemical Recycling Technologies and Business Models.

    Learn more at: https://endplasticwaste.org/en/news/the-alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-calls-for-submissions-for-recycling-technologies


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      How Paving with Plastic Could Make a Dent in the Global Waste Problem

      via Yale Environment 360

      Roads in which waste plastic is melted down and mixed with paving materials are becoming more common around the world. Although for now they remain a niche technology, experts say the roads could become one of a diverse array of uses for discarded plastic.

      Aroad running through Accra, Ghana’s capital, looks like any other blacktop. Yet what most drivers don’t realize is that the asphalt under them contains a slurry of used plastics — shredded and melted bags, bottles, and snack wraps — that otherwise were destined for a landfill.

      Read the full story here:https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-paving-with-plastic-could-make-a-dent-in-the-global-waste-problem


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        Catalyst turns mixed plastic waste into natural gas

        via Chemistry World

        Plastic waste can now be efficiently converted into methane using a ruthenium-based catalyst. The patented technology could help mitigate the planet’s growing plastic waste problem while producing methane for use as a fuel or chemical feedstock in a more environmentally friendly way than fracking.

        Recovering chemicals and fuel from plastic waste streams is nothing new. Processes including pyrolysis and gasification, which break down plastics using high temperatures and catalytic processes, can recover useful materials. However, these approaches create several products, including waste, and require additional processing and purification.

        Read the full story here: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/catalyst-turns-mixed-plastic-waste-into-natural-gas/4013218.article


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          British Company That Uses Waste Plastic To Pave Roads Bringing Process To U.S.

          via Forbes

          British manufacturer MacRebur has already helped paved thousands of miles of roads in the U.K. with asphalt that contains waste plastic, says CEO Toby McCartney. The company is setting up shop in Florida and has its eye on millions of tons of wasted plastic in the United States.

          The company says its process of turning waste plastic into an asphalt additive can help keep plastic out of landfills and incinerators and create stronger streets, all at reduced costs.

          Read the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2021/02/03/british-company-that-uses-waste-plastic-to-pave-roads-bringing-process-to-us/?sh=4b9fee9d313d


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