Plastic waste has been a serious concern since people have got to know about how it works. With this, there still are individuals who just look at it as waste or have no opinion whatsoever. There are several ways to deal with it positively to not harm the environment. Being one of them, upcycling has been in the picture for a long time. The ways to dispose or reclaim is the issue of the hour. It is highly essential that we learn the proper techniques to handle plastic so that it can be used in an alternative way.
While the usage of plastic is essential to modernity and has provided significant benefits to several industries such as food packaging, medical equipment, and telecommunications, it is clear that present disposal and end-of-life management solutions are no longer viable. A number of commendable initiatives have been launched in order to provide a solution, at least in terms of plastic accumulated within seas and waterways.
Changing the view with alternatives
Talking about upcycling of polymers, there have been several reports regarding this waste being harmful to marine life. There have been several technological advancements made which can assist in collecting around 50,000 kgs of plastic from the oceans. Still, there is something that is lacking on the local front. The strategies including upcycling as well as reclaiming needs to be understood by the layman so that they can help on the ground level.
Some catalytic depolymerization approaches, including hydrolysis with water, have been used to convert PET to monomers by catalytic depolymerization. Under neutral, acidic, or basic conditions, this method can create ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Enzymatic hydrolysis has recently established a reputation for itself with the catalytic depolymerization of PET and polyurethanes (PUR). Dialkyl terephthalate and ethylene glycol were synthesized via catalytic depolymerization of PET with methanol or ethanol.
Therefore, these methods are the future of managing plastic waste in a positive yet useful manner. The upcycling process is not only better on the economic front. It also increases the benefits which the environment is getting.