recycling of plastic

Plastic is one of the most popular and useful materials of modern times and it is important that we optimise the lifespan of plastics as much as possible. Worldwide we produce 300 million tonnes of plastic each year and most people are re-using and recycling their plastics.

Many chemicals found in plastics are endocrine disruptors, which can cause an imbalance in hormones, reproductive issues, and even cancer. Also, microplastics can leach harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. Both of these types of chemicals are known to interfere with hormones.

Re-using and recycling items as many times as possible can reduce our need to create new plastic.

This means we can:

conserve non-renewable fossil fuels (oil)

reduce the consumption of energy used in the production of new plastic

reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfill

reduce emission of gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Plastic recycling is the processing of plastic waste into other products. Recycling can reduce dependence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Sorting is mainly done automatically with a manual sort to ensure all contaminants have been removed. Once sorted and cleaned, plastic can either be shredded into flakes or melt processed to form pellets before finally being moulded into new products.

Ways to reuse

Donate items that are still in a good, usable condition to charities or charity shops.

Repurpose glass, plastic and cardboard containers to give them another life.

Carry a re-usable shopping bag.

Re-use wrapping paper or gift bags.

Convert old clothing, towels or sheets into cleaning rags/cloths.

According to the OECD, 91 per cent of all plastic used goes unrecycled into nature, oceans, landfill or incineration every year— that’s 320 million tons. By 2060, there will be an additional 30 billion tons. Only 5 billion tons are predicted to be recycled.

The world needs a plan to fix its plastic problem. The United Nations has committed to delivering a legally binding Plastic Treaty by the end of 2024. This month, more than 175 governments will convene in Ottawa for the fourth and penultimate round of negotiations of the Plastic Treaty.

https://ssmitws.wordpress.com/2024/04/03/recycling-of-plastic/

Fungal.Degradation of Plastic

Fungal Degradation of Plastic

Plastic pollution is a growing environmental problem, in part due to the extremely stable and durable nature of this polymer. As recycling does not provide a complete solution, research has been focusing on alternative ways of degrading plastic. Fungi provide a wide array of enzymes specialized in the degradation of recalcitrant substances and are very promising candidates in the field of plastic degradation. Different fungal enzymes involved in plastic degradation, describing their characteristics, efficacy and biotechnological applications.

Plastics are usually biodegraded aerobically in nature, anaerobically in sediments and landfills and partly aerobically in compost and soil. Carbon dioxide and water are produced during aerobic biodegradation, while anaerobic biodegradation produces carbon dioxide, water and methane. The most commonly used plastics are polyethylene (PE; 30.3%), polypropylene (PP; 19.7%), polyvinyl chloride (PVC; 9.6%), polyethylene terephthalate (PET; 8.4%), polyurethane (PUR; 7.8%) and polystyrene (PS; 6.1%).

An beneficial activity of fungi in carrying out biodegradation using chemical substances as carbon and energy source for metabolism, thereby breaking down larger molecules to smaller ones. Fungi play a pivotal role, it acts on plastics by secreting some degrading enzymes, i.e., cutinase`, lipase, and proteases, lignocellulolytic enzymes, and also the presence of some pro-oxidant ions can cause effective degradation.

The two fungi, Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album, made a meal of the plastic in the lab experiments: Between 25 and 27 percent of samples were devoured after 90 days, and the plastic was completely broken down after 140 days, the researchers report.

https://ssmitws.wordpress.com/2024/04/03/fungal-degradation-of-plastic/

Plastic To Manure

Plastic be converted to manure: For petroleum-based plastics, the process of making manure is more difficult. Although an experimental treatment system was invented in 2017 to be used at wastewater treatment plants, there’s no effective way to convert petroleum-based plastic into fertilizer at home. Composting is a process of decomposition of organic solid waste (leaf litter, dead plants, food waste etc.) to form manure. Red worms cannot break down waste materials like pieces of synthetic cloth, plastic bags, broken glass, aluminium wrappers, nails and other plastic items. Agriculture researchers in Bengaluru install unit to convert plastic, biomass into manure. The experiment started in 2016 with 25 kg of plastic and biomass. It was later scaled up to a 200 kg capacity combustion chamber, fuelled by plastic, biomass, and locally made bio-briquettes. Biomass and plastics are two of the most common municipal solid wastes globally that have continuously placed a burden on the environment. It is therefore important that they are properly recycled. Thermochemical co-conversion offers a valuable opportunity to recycle biomass and plastics simultaneously into biochar, which reduces the time and cost of recycling them individually while producing a material with a wide range of applications

Chemical and environmental engineers detailed a method to convert plastic waste into a highly porous form of charcoal that has a whopping surface area of about 400 square meters per gram of mass. It could potentially be added to soil to improve water retention and aeration of farmlands. Biochar from waste has emerged as a vital solution for multiple contemporary issues. While the organic content and porous structure of biochar have granted it multiple benefits. Where the use of biochar is proven to be beneficial for enhancing the soil structure and water and nutrients retention ability, therefore, saving water and boosting yields in arid regions. Moreover, biochar is capable to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and permanently store it within the soil. 

https://ssmitws.wordpress.com/2024/04/05/plastic-biomass-into-manure/

Solar Ev Charging System

Solar EV Charging System

India has the potential to generate 749 GW of solar power, which is so far largely untapped for vehicle charging

One of the main arguments often heard against transport electrification being considered clean, is that electric vehicles are charged using electricity predominantly generated from fossil fuel sources. While studies have shown that despite the power source, transport electrification will reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, the growth and potential of solar powered EV charging stations is enabling green mobility in the truest sense.

By 2030, India is expected to have 102 million EVs, which would need  2.9 million public charging stations. Solar-powered EV charging stations are a promising, eco-friendly and cost-effective solution, with many benefits for the consumer, economy and India’s climate goals. With India’s potential to generate 749 GW of solar power, which is more than the country’s current installed capacity, this is an untapped opportunity which is slowly gaining momentum.

Many benefits of solar charging stations

These EV charging stations use solar panels to generate electricity, which makes them eco-friendly. A  study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) shows that the per-unit cost of electricity generated from solar panels ranges between Rs 2.50 to Rs 3.50,(which will be significantly lower by 2030) whereas the per-unit cost of electricity from grid power ranges between Rs 6 to Rs 7. This can translate to lower per unit charging costs for consumers, which can further bring down the total cost of ownership of EVs. Another study shows that electric vehicle charging stations with solar rooftop photovoltaic are economically more viable than charging stations sourcing electricity from the grid. The mismatch between solar energy generation and consumption (from charging) can be solved by deploying net metering at charging stations.

Another benefit of these stations is that they can also be set up in remote areas, which lack access to grid power. This can help promote EV adoption in rural areas, where the cost of setting up traditional charging stations can be high due to the absence of grid power. According to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report, around 50% of India’s population lives in rural areas, and the adoption of EVs can help promote sustainable mobility in these areas.

These stations are also a potential source of job creation, as highlighted by a recent report by CEEW, which shows that the installation of 1 million EV charging stations in India can create up to 46,000 jobs, including those in the manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of charging infrastructure, thus helping boost the country’s economy.

And lastly, their contribution to reducing carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels will be immense. In 2019-20, India’s crude oil imports amounted to $102.5 billion, accounting for around 2.8% of its GDP. The adoption of EV and solar-powered charging infrastructure  can help reduce India’s dependence on imported oil and promote energy security.

https://ssmitws.wordpress.com/2024/04/06/solar-ev-charging-system/

Quantum Computer

Like the first digital computers, quantum computers offer the possibility of technology exponentially more powerful than current systems. Quantum computers are machines that use the properties of quantum physics to store data and perform computations. This can be extremely advantageous for certain tasks where they could vastly outperform even our best supercomputers. Classical computers, which include smartphones and laptops, encode information in binary “bits” that can either be 0s or 1s. In a quantum computer, the basic unit of memory is a quantum bit or qubit. David Deutsch, at the University of Oxford, described the first universal quantum computer. Just as a Universal Turing machine can simulate any other Turing machine efficiently (Church–Turing thesis), so the universal quantum computer is able to simulate any other quantum computer with at most a polynomial slowdown. Quantum computers are being manufactured and used. But they cannot yet make the large-scale calculations that are expected to be possible in the future. You may be one of those waiting for the quantum computer, the arrival of which we have been told is imminent for several years.

https://prakashastraltech.wordpress.com/2024/03/26/quantum-computer/