(667d) Value Addition of Waste Plastics through Upcycling for a Sustainable Future

At present ~450 million tons of plastic per year is produced globally which is expected to exceed 1 billion tons by 2050. Additionally, each year globally 300 million tons of plastic waste is generated which is equivalent to the weight of the entire human population (UN report). It is estimated that 9 billion tons of plastic waste will accumulate by 2050 which equates to around one ton of plastic waste being created by each person around the globe. Plastic waste is prevalent as it is omnipresent in the atmosphere, land, oceans and even in the human blood. Make-use-through type plastic economy (linear model) is not sustainable; thus, we must opt for a circular economy approach. The recyclability or circularity of plastic waste can be targeted and altered to have an overall economic benefit for society and the environment. The mixed nature of waste plastics and their complex compositions limits their recyclability, with more than 50% not being recyclable. Further, the plastic waste that is recyclable results in less value, being counterproductive. In recycling, the final product targets at least the same or original value. Down-cycling results in lower value whereas in upcycling the final product can generate higher value. Upcycling helps in waste valorization and unlimited usage of materials including longer time usage with a principle of “cradle-to cradle” unlike “cradle-to-grave” type of scenario. In upcycling, field “chemical recycling” is attracting attention but faces limited commercial success. Upcycling through composite fabrication for new industrial uses shows promise. Although many argue pyrolysis of waste plastic is another strategy towards upcycling waste plastics, it is still considered at its niche stage of development. The whole upcycling strategy needs extensive research to innovate maximum value and high performance product of economic value to make it attractive and truly sustainable.

Acknowledgements: i) The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) – University of Guelph, the Bioeconomy Industrial Uses Research Program Theme (Project Nos. 030486, 030578 and 030671); ii) OMAFRA-University of Guelph Gryphon’s Leading to the Accelerated Adoption of Innovative Research (LAAIR) Program (Project No. 030416); iii) the OMAFRA- Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (Project No. 055217); iv) the Ontario Research Fund, Research Excellence Program; Round-9 (ORF-RE09) from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Canada (Project Nos. 053970 and 054345); and (iv) the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Discovery Grants (Project No. 401111).