Treatment of biodegradable plastic packaging using UV radiation and composting | |
| Author | Tasne, Sujana |
| Call Number | AIT RSPR no.MPA-21-63 |
| Subject(s) | Biodegradable plastics Plastics in packaging Plastic scrap--Environmental aspects |
| Note | A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Marine Plastics Abatement |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Biodegradable plastics were developed in response to the challenges associated with plastic waste. The biodegradable plastic polymers are mineralized into carbon dioxide, methane, water, biomass or inorganic chemicals in the presence of particular microorganisms through enzymatic action. Although the biodegradable plastics that have been introduced to the Thailand market are gaining popularity for their eco-friendly approach, their decomposition frequently requires long treatment procedures. In this study, soil composting was used to examine the degree of deterioration UV-treated and UV-untreated biodegradable PE and PET. After treating biodegradable PE and PET under UV-C irradiation for 100hr, the mass of the samples was analyzed every 20 hours of irradiation and it was found that for biodegradable PE about 9.29% and for PET about 0.0356% of mass decreased from their initial condition after 100 hours of exposure. FTIR analysis and SEM images also showed some changes in their polymer. After UV treatment, the test materials were put to the soil-compost mixture in a dark room at 30oC for 28 days. UV untreated samples were also put in exact similar type of soil-compost mixture for same number of days SEM image analysis and FTIR analysis were performed after 15 days of composting clearly indicated that UV-treated PE and PET degraded faster in soil than non treated plastics. The amount of CO2 evolved from the soil compost of both type of UV treated plastic was also higher compared to that of non-treated ones. However, the results from FTIR obtained did not showed the results as per prediction, but the results from other analysis clearly depicted the consequences of UV irradiation pretreatment on the degradation behavior of polymers when they were treated in soil compost. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Research Study Project Report (RSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Marine Plastic Abatement (MPA) |
| Chairperson(s) | Xue, Wenchao |
| Examination Committee(s) | Cruz, Simon Guerrero;Loc Thai Nguyen |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan |
| Degree | Research studies project report (M.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |