New Delhi: IIT Mandi researchers have found a mechanism for converting plastic into hydrogen when exposed to sunshine. The production of hydrogen from plastics is especially beneficial because the gas is regarded as the most viable non-polluting fuel of the future.
Most plastics are sourced from petroleum and cannot be easily broken down into environmentally friendly goods.
According to data, around 4.9 billion tonnes of plastic end up in landfills, negatively harming both the environment and human health. IIT Mandi researchers are attempting to develop effective waste management methods in order to minimise plastic waste.
The IIT Mandi team just completed its study, which was funded by the Ministry of Education's Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC). The team's findings were published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering.
The study was headed by Prem Fexil Siril, professor, School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi, and Aditi Halder, associate professor, School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi. The paper was co-authored by their PhD students Rituporn Gogoi, Astha Singh, Vedasree Moutam, Lalita Sharma, and Kajal Sharma.
Siril said, “The ideal path to effective annihilation of plastics is to degrade them into useful chemicals. The generation of hydrogen from plastics is particularly useful because the gas is considered the most practical non-polluting fuel of the future”.
The study found that when exposed to light, the otherwise difficult or impossible process gets initiated. The scientists created a photocatalyst by combining iron oxide nanoparticles with polypyrrole, a conducting polymer. The outcome was a semiconductor-semiconductor heterojunction with substantial visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity.
Unlike typical photocatalysts, which require a specific ultra-violet light bulb to activate, the IIT Mandi photocatalyst operates simply by being exposed to sunshine.
“We first ascertained the photocatalytic activity of our catalyst by seeing its action on methyl orange. The colour change from orange to colourless showed the extent to which our catalyst was able to degrade it”, added Siril.
The study found that when the catalyst had 4% weight iron oxide in the polypyrrole matrix, 100% degradation could be achieved in about four hours.
The photocatalyst was also tested on polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is a kind of plastic that is extensively used in food packaging, textiles, medical devices, and cosmetics. The scientists discovered that the breakdown of the PLA resulted in the release of hydrogen via the catalyst.
The researchers also observed that the new photocatalyst has the potential to photoreform food waste and other biomass. It may also be able to degrade contaminants in water.
“While the generation of hydrogen is good in itself, we are even more excited about the absence of carbon dioxide,” said Siril.
Unlike previous photocatalysts, the one created at IIT Mandi does not emit greenhouse gases as a byproduct. Instead, it produces valuable byproducts such as lactic acid, formic acid, and acetic acid. The heterojunction capabilities of nano iron oxide and polypyrrole have the potential to lead to the development of new catalysts with a wide range of applications.
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