Understanding de-inking in packaging plastic recycling: Bridging the gap in resource conservation and establishing average hazard quotient.

Autor: Syed Ali SA; Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan 47500, Malaysia; Waste and Critical Metals Sustainability Research Group, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan 47500, Malaysia. Electronic address: shafeeq.syedali@monash.edu., Ilankoon IMSK; Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan 47500, Malaysia; Waste and Critical Metals Sustainability Research Group, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan 47500, Malaysia. Electronic address: saman.ilankoon@monash.edu., Zhang L; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia. Electronic address: lian.zhang@monash.edu., Tan J; Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan 47500, Malaysia. Electronic address: tan.jully@monash.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of hazardous materials [J Hazard Mater] 2024 Nov 05; Vol. 479, pp. 135554. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 17.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135554
Abstrakt: Achieving circularity in the plastic economy predominantly depends on sourcing higher quality recyclates. Packaging plastic poses a significant challenge as it is often not prioritised for collection or recycling initiatives. The presence of additives, such as printing ink, impedes the quality of recyclates. Considering the volume of packaging plastics and the importance of branding (aesthetics and consumer information), ink removal is a critical pre-treatment step. However, the literature is limited, with only 14 studies exploring de-inking processes. Drawing parallels with the detergent laundering process, surfactants have been widely investigated in plastic de-inking, with cationic surfactants proving the most effective with a de-inking efficiency of up to 100%. However, concerns exist regarding the toxic and hazardous nature of the surfactants and chemicals. The average hazard quotient (AHQ) was developed, which compares de-inking chemicals as one of the key findings. AHQ provides a quantitative proxy for the hazards and toxicities, which are qualitatively presented as part of the globally harmonised system (GHS) classification of chemicals. To drive emerging packaging plastic de-inking, including the development of green surfactants (e.g. gamma-valerolactone), this work enables an informed chemical selection minimising potential hazards (rather than creating more adverse effects in plastic recycling processes) and toxicities from plastic waste, fulfilling the objectives of cleaner plastic waste recycling.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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