Innovative Approaches to Recycling Plastics: From Growing Mini Tumours to Producing Hydrogen
Key Ideas
- Researchers at NTU Singapore repurpose e-waste plastics from discarded keyboards to grow 'mini tumours' for laboratory testing, offering a waste-to-resource strategy.
- NTU scientists convert hard-to-recycle plastic waste into hydrogen and carbon additives for polymer foams, demonstrating a milestone in circular economy practices.
- A greener method developed by NTU scientists uses light and a catalyst to break down plastics into valuable compounds for energy storage, providing an energy-efficient alternative to traditional recycling methods.
Plastics pollution is a significant environmental challenge, with plastics accumulating in ecosystems and harming wildlife while also releasing toxic compounds. NTU Singapore researchers are pioneering innovative solutions to tackle plastic waste. By repurposing e-waste plastics like ABS from keyboards, they have created a synthetic matrix for growing cancer spheroids, offering a sustainable approach to reducing plastic waste and advancing biomedical applications. Furthermore, the team at NTU has successfully transformed hard-to-recycle plastics into solid carbon for polymer foams, providing a valuable source of material for various applications while also producing hydrogen as a fuel. In a bid to address the energy-intensive nature of plastic recycling, NTU scientists have developed a greener method that leverages light and a catalyst to break down plastics at room temperature, offering a more efficient alternative. These groundbreaking initiatives highlight NTU's commitment to sustainability and circular economy practices, showcasing the potential for innovative approaches to mitigate plastic pollution and create value from plastic waste.
Topics
Fuel Cells
Environmental Impact
Innovation
Research
Energy Storage
Plastic Waste
Recycling
Biomedical Applications
Polymer Foams
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