PMID- 20481621
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20100806
LR  - 20100611
IS  - 0013-936X (Print)
IS  - 0013-936X (Linking)
VI  - 44
IP  - 12
DP  - 2010 Jun 15
TI  - Upcycling: converting waste plastics into paramagnetic, conducting, solid, pure 
      carbon microspheres.
PG  - 4753-9
LID - 10.1021/es100243u [doi]
AB  - The recent tremendous increase in the volume of waste plastics (WP) will have a 
      harmful environmental impact on the health of living beings. Hundreds of years 
      are required to degrade WP in atmospheric conditions. Hence, in coming years, in 
      addition to traditional recycling services, innovative "upcycling" processes are 
      necessary. This article presents an environmentally benign, solvent-free 
      autogenic process that converts various WP [low density polyethylene (LDPE), high 
      density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), 
      or their mixtures] into carbon microspheres (CMSs), an industrially significant, 
      value-added product. The thermal dissociation of these individual or mixed WP in 
      a closed reactor under autogenic pressure ( approximately 1000 psi) produced dry, 
      pure powder of CMSs. In this paper, the optimization of process parameters such 
      as the effect of mixing of WP with other materials, and the role of reaction 
      temperature and time are reported. Employing advanced analytical techniques, the 
      atomic structure, composition, and morphology of as-obtained CMSs were analyzed. 
      The room-temperature paramagnetism in CMSs prepared from waste LDPE, HDPE, and PS 
      was further studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The conducting and 
      paramagnetic nature of CMSs holds promise for their potential applications in 
      toners, printers, paints, batteries, lubricants, and tires.
FAU - Pol, Vilas Ganpat
AU  - Pol VG
AD  - Electrochemical Energy Storage Department, Chemical Sciences & Engineering 
      Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA. pol@anl.gov
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
PL  - United States
TA  - Environ Sci Technol
JT  - Environmental science & technology
JID - 0213155
RN  - 0 (Plastics)
RN  - 0 (Waste Products)
RN  - 7440-44-0 (Carbon)
RN  - 9002-88-4 (Polyethylene)
SB  - IM
MH  - Carbon/*chemistry
MH  - Conservation of Natural Resources/*methods
MH  - *Electric Conductivity
MH  - Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
MH  - *Magnetics
MH  - Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
MH  - *Microspheres
MH  - Nanoparticles/chemistry
MH  - Plastics/*chemistry
MH  - Polyethylene/chemistry
MH  - Pressure
MH  - Temperature
MH  - Waste Products/*analysis
EDAT- 2010/05/21 06:00
MHDA- 2010/08/07 06:00
CRDT- 2010/05/21 06:00
PHST- 2010/05/21 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2010/05/21 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2010/08/07 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.1021/es100243u [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Jun 15;44(12):4753-9. doi: 10.1021/es100243u.