Nanocatalyst for the Degradation of Plastic Waste to Produce Paints

Abstract

Recycling consumed commercial polymers is considered a highly important issue that chemists and engineers must take care of to develop the proper recycling techniques. The main objective of this study is to find a radical solution to the problems of plastic waste by recycling plastic waste (water bottles) and studying the effect of the produced Degraded Polyethylene Terephthalate (DPET) on the properties of paints. DEPT was added in six quantities to the paint mixture (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 14 grams). The paints were evaluated using various tests, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), viscosity, adhesion, brightness, color, ultraviolet reflectance, and accelerated weathering. Testing the paint mixtures showed that the samples were not affected by weather conditions. This indicates the improvement of the paint mixtures by adding quantities of DPET. This study concludes that the catalyst ratios used succeeded in cracking DPET and avoided the need for large quantities of the catalyst. The use of DPET in various material applications reduces the cost due to the low cost of DPET production. The use of PET in sustainable applications conferred a radical solution to plastic waste problems worldwide. In this work, mixing plastic waste products, after their treatment, in the preparation of paint mixtures successfully contributed to improving the required specifications.

Keywords

• plastics
• polyethylene terephthalate
• paints
• sem
• viscosity
• adhesion
• brightness & color
• ultraviolet reflectance
• and accelerated weathering