Roadmap to sustainable plastic waste management: a focused study on recycling PET for triboelectric nanogenerator production in Singapore and India

Abstract

This study explores the implications of plastic waste and recycling management on recyclates for manufacturing clean-energy harvesting devices. The focus is on a comparative analysis of using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) production, in two densely populated Asian countries of large economies, namely Singapore and India. Of the total 930,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated in Singapore in 2019, only 4% were recycled and the rest were incinerated. In comparison, India yielded 8.6 million tonnes of plastic waste and 70% were recycled. Both countries have strict recycling goals and have instituted different waste and recycling management regulations. The findings show that the waste policies and legislations, responsibilities and heterogeneity in collection systems and infrastructure of the respective country are the pivotal attributes to successful recycling. Challenges to recycle plastic include segregation, adulterants and macromolecular structure degradation which could influence the recyclate properties and pose challenges for manufacturing products. A model was developed to evaluate the economic value and mechanical potential of PET recyclate. The model predicted a 30% loss of material performance and a 65% loss of economic value after the first recycling cycle. The economic value depreciates to zero with decreasing mechanical performance of plastic after multiple recycling cycles. For understanding how TENG technology could be incorporated into the circular economy, a model has estimated about 20 million and 7300 billion pieces of aerogel mats can be manufactured from the PET bottles disposed in Singapore and India, respectively which were sufficient to produce small-scale TENG devices for all peoples in both countries.

A comparative study of bottled and tap water in Abbottabad city: Implications for stakeholders

“…All necessary procedures were followed during sample collection, transportation, and storage. Samples were collected in June (2021) Lai et al (2022).…”

An Overview of Management Status and Recycling Strategies for Plastic Packaging Waste in China

“…Nevertheless, there exist significant impediments to the progress of this technology, including issues such as the suboptimal performance of recycled materials, restricted application scopes, limited recyclability beyond one or two cycles, and dependence on recycling and sorting capacities. Presently, advanced research is centered on the development of high-value mechanical regeneration products with enhanced economic potential [60,61]. For example, Xu [62] studied the properties of plastics obtained by mixing and modifying recycling polypropylene plastic (RPP) with different co-binders, such as polypropylene new material (VPP) and ethyleneoctene copolymer (POE).…”

Towards Sustainable Fuel Cells and Batteries with an AI Perspective

“…Industries account for nearly 21% of all waste produced globally. Because of the shutdown of industries, 5.88 million metric tons of solid garbage were created during the pandemic in 2020, which was less than in previous years [133]. Concurrently, it is vital to discover a feasible utilization for this waste while also avoiding contamination.…”