NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop highly-efficient, non-toxic method to upcycle single-use plastic

Novel approach converts single-use plastic into “carbon dots” that can be used for environmental monitoring, disease diagnosis and treatment, and more

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Abu Dhabi, UAE (March 6, 2023) – A team of researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a single-step, organic solvent-free, hydrothermal process to convert polyethylene-based plastic bags and polypropylene-based surgical masks into carbon dots.  An estimated 26,000 metric tons of pandemic-related plastic waste – from medical waste to online shopping packaging – have been released into the world’s oceans, making it even more urgent to find efficient methods to upcycle this non-degradable material. One solution is to convert the single-use plastic into so-called carbon dots, carbon nanomaterials that are biocompatible, and have applications in the fields of biological imaging, environmental monitoring, chemical analysis, targeted drug delivery, disease diagnosis and therapy, and anticounterfeiting. Existing methods to upcycle plastic into carbon dots involve multiple, time-consuming steps and utilize toxic chemicals.

In the study titled High-yield, One-pot Upcycling of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Waste into Blue-Emissive Carbon Dots published in the journal Green Chemistry, the researchers present the development of a new synthesis method, which is a simple, cost-effective, and highly scalable approach to upcycling plastic waste. Importantly, this oxidative degradation method can upcycle plastics contaminated with organic waste such as food scraps, which poses a significant challenge to traditional recycling technologies. The senior author is Khalil Ramadi, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at NYUAD. Mohammed Abdelhameed, a scientist at NYUAD, and Mahmoud Elbeh, an NYUAD undergraduate student, are first authors of the study.

The researchers also estimated the economic feasibility of the synthetic method by comparing the variable costs of this process to existing chemical recycling processes, considering the economic value of the created carbon dots. They found that the global market value of carbon dots is expected to reach USD 6.412 billion by 2025, up from USD 2.496 billion in 2019 – a high commercial value that more than justifies the associated processing costs.

The high volume of single-use plastics used during the pandemic, particularly surgical masks and medical waste, presents an increased need to find a solution for managing non-biodegradable waste. It is also estimated that only 14 percent of the eligible plastic packaging – whose use has surged due to the boom in online shopping – is recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills and oceans, where it does considerable harm. These materials can be consumed by organisms or fragmented into micro- and nano-plastics that can threaten terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems and, ultimately, human health.

“The new method our team has developed is a cost-effective and safe method that can be easily implemented to significantly reduce the amount of harmful plastic that is released into our ecosystems,” said Ramadi. “In addition to providing a new tool to protect our ecosystems, this approach can efficiently and responsibly produce carbon dots, a versatile nanotechnology whose potential applications are nearly boundless.”

Elbeh stated, “We’re very delighted to further support the UAE’s Circular Economy Policy. Given that we are tackling the plastic waste crisis by creating a valuable product using a relatively easy-to-implement method, we’re looking forward to more collaborations to not only scale up this project but also utilize the produced dots for further development and applications.”

ENDS

About NYU Abu Dhabi

www.nyuad.nyu.edu
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective program with majors in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, and humanities with a world center for advanced research. Its campus enables students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world, and to advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from some 120 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents. 

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JOURNAL

Green Chemistry

ARTICLE TITLE

High-yield, one-pot upcycling of polyethylene and polypropylene waste into blue-emissive carbon dots