The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a shift to a plastic circular economy

Yuan, Xiangzhou; Wang, Xiaonan; Sarkar, Binoy; Ok, Yong Sik

doi:10.1038/s43017-021-00223-2

Cited by 116 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The annual global anthropogenic Hg emissions amount to ~2000–2500 tonnes ( Zhang et al, 2016 ) and outweigh natural emissions (~500 tonnes yr −1 , mainly from rock weathering and volcanic eruptions) ( Amos et al, 2015 ; Bagnato et al, 2015 ) by an order of magnitude ( Futsaeter and Wilson, 2013 ). Approximately two thirds of the emitted Hg mercury returns to the terrestrial system through precipitation and dry deposition ( Zhou et al, 2021 ). The Hg accumulation in soils is about 800,000 tonnes in mineral soils and 150,000 tonnes in organic soils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury in European topsoils: Anthropogenic sources, stocks and fluxes

Panagos

Jiskra

Borrelli

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

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Mercury (Hg) is one of the most dangerous pollutants worldwide. In the European Union (EU), we recently estimated the Hg distribution in topsoil using 21,591 samples and a series of geo-physical inputs. In this manuscript, we investigate the impact of mining activities, chrol-alkali industries and other diffuse pollution sources as primary anthropogenic sources of Hg hotspots in the EU. Based on Hg measured soil samples, we modelled the Hg pool in EU topsoils, which totals about 44.8 Gg, with an average density of 103 g ha −1 . As a following step, we coupled the estimated Hg stocks in topsoil with the pan-European assessment of soil loss due to water erosion and sediment distribution. In the European Union and UK, we estimated that about 43 Mg Hg yr −1 are displaced by water erosion and c. a. 6 Mg Hg yr −1 are transferred with sediments to river basins and eventually released to coastal Oceans. The Mediterranean Sea receives almost half (2.94 Mg yr −1 ) of the Hg fluxes to coastal oceans and it records the highest quantity of Hg sediments. This is the result of elevated soil Hg concentration and high erosion rates in the catchments draining into the Mediterranean Sea. This work contributes to new knowledge in support of the policy development in the on the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 3.9 and 14.1, which both have as an objective to reduce soil pollution by 2030.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury in European topsoils: Anthropogenic sources, stocks and fluxes

Panagos

Jiskra

Borrelli

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

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“…Traditionally minor sources of plastic pollutionincluding personal protective equipment (PPE)have become far more prominent, exacerbating consumption. Moreover, some regulatory measures meant to reduce plastic have been delayed and/or rolled back during the pandemic, stalling or even reversing the longstanding global battle to mitigate plastic pollution (Yuan et al, 2021).…”

Section: Plastics Industriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Covid-19: Prospering Industries & Oversize Management

Brondoni¹

2021

Symphonya. Emerging Issues in Management

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With COVID-19, many businesses have failed, while other industries and corporations have seen profits increase, and are likely to continue to do so post-pandemic, in line with the trend of the oversize economy. Coronavirus 2019 has caused a major economic shock, in addition to its tremendous impact on global health, pushing the biggest corporations towards an outburst of the new, basic drivers of global capitalism (Health; Energy; Food; Communication). That is, the pillars of global competition that start from an oversize management in order to fix the competitive landscapes of large corporations.

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“…[ 15–20 ] Under this backdrop, it is imperative to establish a new plastic paradigm from linearity to circularity so that we can achieve a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future. [ 21–23 ]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[15][16][17][18][19][20] Under this backdrop, it is imperative to establish a new plastic paradigm from linearity to circularity so that we can achieve a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future. [21][22][23] Currently, numerous technologies including incineration, mechanical recycling, thermochemical conversion, and photocatalysis have been developed for the treatment of plastic waste (Figure 1). [24][25][26][27][28] Incineration and disposal in landfills are the two common conventional methods that are practiced on large scales due to their simplicity, low-cost, and feedstock versatility.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Photocatalytic Conversion of Plastic Waste: From Photodegradation to Photosynthesis

Chu

Zhang

Zhao

et al. 2022

Advanced Energy Materials

123

106

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Plastic waste remains a global challenge due to the massive amounts being produced without satisfactory treatment technologies for recycling and upcycling. Photocatalytic processes are emerging as green and promising approaches to upcycle plastics into value‐added products under mild conditions using sunlight as the energy source. In this review, the recent advances in plastic conversion through photocatalysis have been comprehensively summarized. Special emphasis is placed on the photocatalytic mechanism and the selective CC and CH bond transformations of plastics to access fuels, chemicals, and materials. Finally, the challenges and the perspectives on establishing a new paradigm toward a sustainable and circular plastic economy are also put forward.

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The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates a shift to a plastic circular economy

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating plastic pollution. A shift in waste management practices is thus urgently needed to close the plastic loop, requiring governments, researchers and industries working towards intelligent design and sustainable upcycling.

Cited by 116 publications

References 8 publications

Mercury in European topsoils: Anthropogenic sources, stocks and fluxes

Mercury in European topsoils: Anthropogenic sources, stocks and fluxes

Covid-19: Prospering Industries & Oversize Management

Photocatalytic Conversion of Plastic Waste: From Photodegradation to Photosynthesis

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