Developing Sustainable Resource Recovery Model for Managing Plastic Waste for a Small Community

Abstract

The management of post-consumer discarded plastic wastes (PCPW) are creating new newlinechallenges in developing countries due to the lack of amenities, waste management newlinesystems, technological interventions and associated negative environmental newlineexternalities. The fate of untreated recyclable and non-recyclable plastic wastes lies in newlineopen dumping along with the other waste that causes negative externalities. The thesis newlineincludes an in-depth research study of plastic waste technologies that will help in newlineminimizing these negative externalities and achieve the target of sustainable newlinedevelopment goals 11 and 12. It mainly includes estimating energy recovery potential newlinefrom inert plastic wastes including multilayer plastics for Refuse-derived Fuel (RDF) newlineand simultaneously assessing the environmental impacts associated with its newlineproduction and generation of electricity in waste to energy plant. On the other hand, newlinedifferent types of nanomaterials that mainly includes titanium-dioxide, zinc oxide and newlinesilicon-dioxide were used to accelerate the rate of degradation of low-density newlinepolyethene (LDPE) under various controllable parameters at the laboratory newlineconditions. The photo-degradation results demonstrated the formation of several newlineintermediate products that were mutagenetically negative and non-bio accumulative, newlinethat further provides the scope of its utilization as a secondary raw material that will newlinemainly help in replacing virgin plastics for the synthesis of high-value added newlineproducts. newline