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Development of a Material Tracker Tool for Estimating Chemical Releases in the Plastic End-of-Life Stage
Citation:
Conway, M., J. Chea, A. Lehr, K. Yenkie, AND G. Ruiz-Mercado. Development of a Material Tracker Tool for Estimating Chemical Releases in the Plastic End-of-Life Stage. 2022 AIChE Annual Student Conference, Phoenix, AZ, November 12 - 14, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
Plastics have established their use as a critical material in humankind applications. However, the current methods of managing plastics in the end-of-life stage (EoL) are not sustainable and frequently cause the release of hazardous chemical compounds into the environment. This undergraduate student presentation describes a Python-based computational framework to analyze the movement of additives in plastics, tracking its migration during their EoL stage management activities, including recycling, incineration, and landfilling. The 2018 municipal solid waste data is the basis for these calculations, and a case study shows changes in additive releases, environmental impacts, and energy consumption resulting from different recycling efficiencies. This contribution will allow users to change various parameters in the EoL stage data to make predictions and assist policymakers in making informed choices regarding the current municipal solid waste EoL procedures.
Description:
Plastic production and its continuous use globally present considerable challenges with the end-of-life (EoL) stage, resulting in a linear economy structure in which most plastic is used once and then landfilled or incinerated. Many efforts have been made to improve the recycling methods in the US, but using chemical additives in plastics has impeded their recyclability and thus their overall sustainable EoL management. This work aims to analyze the movement of additives in plastics, tracking its migration from disposal to the EoL stage activities, including recycling, incineration, and landfilling. The 2018 municipal solid waste data has been used as the basis for these calculations, and a case study has been completed to measure changes in additive releases, environmental impacts, and energy consumption resulting from different recycling efficiencies. A Python-based framework and its graphic user interface (GUI) allow users to change various parameters in the EoL stage data to make predictions and allow policymakers to make informed choices regarding the current municipal solid waste EoL procedures. Based on users’ input, this tool estimates the chemical additive releases, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption associated with these EoL procedures. This Python-based chemical release tracker tool can support an informed transition toward achieving a circular plastic economy.