Enhancing waste management: Employing gamma ray irradiation proves to be a highly efficient method for plastic recycling
Let's talk about plastic pollution, shall we?
Plastic waste, a colossal problem facing our planet, was the focus of World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5th, under the theme "No to plastic pollution."
Last year, approximately 400 million tons of plastic waste were produced worldwide. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicts that by 2060, this number could nearly triple to a staggering 1,000 million tons. To combat this surge, a third technology, besides mechanical and chemical recycling, is on the table.
Enter NUTEC (Nuclear Technology for Plastic Pollution Control), a program initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA involves 99 countries in monitoring marine microplastics and 52 in developing alternative recycling techniques.
Irradiation, as proposed by NUTEC, is a potent tool for separating recycled plastic that's been cleaned and shredded. Plastic, basically a non-biodegradable mixture of different polymers, becomes more suitable for reuse following irradiation, resulting in a purer, more valuable plastic.
Irradiation achieves this by degrading the polymers, making them simpler to process, and by fostering reticulation, which creates cross-links between molecular chains, enhancing their properties. Moreover, irradiation increases polymer compatibility and facilitates plastic waste restructuring via "grafting."
Oxidation, another effect of irradiation, renders plastic compatible with the fusion of other plastics and many binders. After undergoing this transformation, waste can then be used to manufacture industrial goods.
Argentina, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia are already dabbling in pilot projects, yielding products such as railway sleepers, wood-plastic composites for construction, and fuel from this type of recycling. Following these trials, the program is anticipated to be operational by 2026.
The IAEA also believes nuclear science can detect, track, and monitor plastics and microplastics in the ocean. The agency aims to increase the number of laboratories worldwide equipped with the necessary technology from 21 to 50, designating facilities in Australia and Kuwait as reference centers with advanced microplastic analysis capabilities.
- Contributed by Lusa
Oh, and did you know? There's a program called NUTEC Plastics, initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that's using nuclear technology to revolutionize plastic recycling and combat the microplastics menace. Now, that sounds like a serious game-changer! 💡🔺🌍♻️ 💦🐬🐟🐳🐋🐡
In the fight against plastic pollution, nuclear science plays a significant role, as shown by the IAEA's NUTEC Plastics program, which aims to revolutionize plastic recycling and curb the microplastics issue.
Environmental science and technology merge in this program, as nuclear technology is utilized to detect, track, and monitor plastics and microplastics in the ocean, and to develop alternative recycling techniques for plastic waste, such as irradiation, that make waste more valuable and suitable for manufacturing industrial goods.
