Page 62 - Plastics News June 2019

TECHNOLOGY

Researchers create biodegradable Research group finds way to

plastic for food packaging turn plastic waste products into

jet fuel
team of researchers from the Kaunas University
A of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania have created a
biodegradable plastic for packaging. The biodegradable research group led by Washington State University
plastic, which takes two years to disintegrate with the A scientists has found a way to turn daily plastic waste
help of microorganisms, is transparent and suitable for products into jet fuel. In a new paper published in the
food packaging. KTU lead researcher Dr Paulius Pavelas journal Applied Energy, WSU's Hanwu Lei and colleagues
Danilovas said: “We are used to getting sandwiches, melted plastic waste at high temperature with activated
carbon, a processed carbon with increased surface area,
to produce jet fuel."Waste plastic is a huge problem
worldwide," said Lei, an associate professor in WSU's
Department of Biological System Engineering. "This is a
very good, and relatively simple, way to recycle these
plastics."In the experiment, Lei and colleagues tested
low-density polyethylene and mixed a variety of waste
plastic products, like water bottles, milk bottles, and
plastic bags, and ground them down to around three
millimeters, or about the size of a grain of rice. The
plastic granules were then placed on top of activated
carbon in a tube reactor at a high temperature, ranging
snacks, pastries, sweets and many other products in a from 430 degree Celsius to 571 degrees Celsius. That's
paper bag with a plastic window. “With a clear window 806 to 1,060 Fahrenheit. The carbon is a catalyst, or a
on the front face, the products in the bag can be viewed substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without
easily. Although paper is biologically degradable, it being consumed by the reaction. "Plastic is hard to break
is complicated to separate paper from plastic, and down," Lei said. "You have to add a catalyst to help
the package is considered non-recyclable and non- break the chemical bonds. There is a lot of hydrogen
compostable. “However, if we made the window from in plastics, which is a key component in fuel."Once the
biodegradable plastic, it could be composted. Moreover, carbon catalyst has done its work, it can be separated
we could even use the bag for collecting biodegradable
waste and put all into the compost bin together. “There are
plenty of microorganisms in compost and they digest our
plastic very well.” The challenge in creating a bioplastic
that is appropriate for this specific kind of food packaging,
according to researchers, is making it both transparent
and biodegradable.“Usually, to become fluid plastic needs
to be heated. However, if you heat paper (which is also
based on cellulose) it will not only not become liquid, but
will also burn! We are excited to have found composites,
which not only allow cellulose to turn into fluid condition out and re-used on the next batch of waste plastic
but also are non-toxic, which is very important in all conversion. The catalyst can also be regenerated after
products related to food handling,” said Dr. Danilovas.The losing its activity. After testing several different catalysts
race to develop plastic alternatives, particularly for the at different temperatures, the best result they had
food packaging industry, is on all over the world following produced a mixture of 85 percent jet fuel and 15 percent
diesel fuel."We can recover almost 100 percent of the
news that many cities and companies are attempting to energy from the plastic we tested," Lei said. "The fuel
minimize its use due to its environmental impact.
is very good quality, and the byproduct gasses produced
are high quality and useful as well."

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