Abstract
More thoughts on protecting our planet so that we have a suitable environment to sustain our existence. As I travel, I see much evidence where people disregard the environment by tossing trash on the ground. This appears to be because they do not care and also because the infrastructure to collect the trash is not available. There are countries where little roadside dumps exist and counties where the streets are clean, and recycling is the norm. Plastics make many things possible and in truth help protect our environment by replacing less desirable options. The issue is that plastics are too successful and even though on balance they provide a benefit, they also contribute to pollution. We hear a lot about how the oceans are being polluted by plastic bottles and there are programs to correct this problem.
We are also being aware of two other major problems. They are pellets being discharged from plastic plants and production facilities and cigarette filters. A judge has determined that Formosa Plastics in Point Comfort, Texas has been in “enormous” violation of its state-issued permits and federal clean water laws for discharging plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other waterways from its plant in Point Comfort. In the penalty phase which is likely to take place in September will determine if the plaintiffs who are seeking $162 million — $104,828 for every day Formosa was out of compliance with state and federal environmental permits and laws that require companies to report such violations will be awarded. Any penalties would go toward cleanup costs.
Cigarette butts are believed to be the most pervasive form of plastic pollution on the planet with trillions are discarded every year. the study says an estimated 4.5 trillion butts are littered globally each year. Though it's difficult to determine the amount of discarded cigarettes, estimates come from the 5.6 trillion cigarettes that are manufactured worldwide each year, most of which are “dumped irresponsibly,” according to NBC News. Chemicals in filters thought to significantly reduce germination and growth of plants in areas where littering is prevalent. I have seen people put their cigarette butt in a waste bin designed for that purpose. And I have also seen people just toss them on the ground. I find it difficult to understand why someone would trash our planet and yet be very upset if someone damages their private possessions.
This journal along with many other fine journals are an example of the impact plastics and their related support industries have on our society. The aim and scope of the Journal of Plastic Film and Sheeting is to publish original research and review articles on developments in polymer science and plastics technology that result in improved films and sheeting. The journal considers the following kinds of article for publication:
Original Research, describing the research, development, and processing of plastic film and sheeting. Review Articles. Letters to the Editors. Readers' letters should address issues raised by published articles or should report significant new findings that merit rapid dissemination.
Again, I make the observation that we need to focus on the disease not just treat the symptoms.
Personally, when I see trash on the ground, I pick it up and recycle where appropriate. If I can influence 2 people to contribute to solving this problem and each of those two people influence two more and so on it will take 32 cycles to reach 4.3 Billion people. What can you do?
Our first paper in this issue “Review on conducting polymer/nanodiamond nanocomposites: Essences and functional performance” by Ayesha Kausar is about how doping conducting polymers with nanodiamond particles enhances processability, tractability, electrical, mechanical, electrochemical, optical, thermal, and other essential physical properties. This review outlines some major conducting polymer/nanodiamond nanocomposites advances obtained with major conjugated polymers such as: polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and polythiophene derivatives. Moreover, this article concisely and inclusively discusses how important conducting polymer nanocomposites are for supercapacitor, actuator, solar cell, corrosion protection, and biomedical fields. Finally, challenges and perspectives are deliberated for viable future high performance materials.
Our second paper “Enhancement of the thermal stability and mechanical properties of recycled low density polyethylene/wheat biocomposite films with targeted repairing technology and network skeleton construction” by Dingtian Xiao , Shan Qing, Zhifeng Yu and Huaqiang Xiao is about biocomposite films prepared from recycled low density polyethylene from marine plastic waste and wheat straw micropowders from common agricultural wastes in northern China. In order to determine the optimal ratio, eight experimental groups were set up for comparative testing. For further improving the performance of the biocomposite film, the three-dimensional network skeleton construction and targeted repairing technology of the material were designed. The specimens were characterized by a HD camera, a universal examination machine, a research grade inverted microscope, and a thermogravimetric analyzer. The results indicate that the agglomeration of powders reduces the tensile strength of the material, and the elongation at break depends on the properties of the polyolefin matrix itself. The reinforced biocomposite film has a 13.7 MPa tensile strength and a 243% elongation at break. It has slightly better mechanical properties than ordinary materials, which can be used as an economical, thermally stable, and environmentally friendly material to manufacture new packaging and courier bags.
In the third paper “Synthesis and characterization of a spun membrane with modified Al2O3” by Rui Zhang , Tongqing Zhang, Youfeng Cai, Xuyang Zhu, Qiong Han, Yu Li , Yi Liu , Ailian Wang and Guihong Lan is about composite nanofiber membranes prepared by adding modified nanosized Al2O3-particles to a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) solution (17 wt%) through an electrospinning process. The Al2O3 content affected the spun membrane performance, such as hydrophilicity, bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection rate and anti-fouling properties were examined in detail. UF (experiment with an ultrafiltration cup) experiment was used to measure how the membrane water flux changed. This test showed that the nanoparticle affect was remarkable, the pure water flux was 4635 L·m2·h−1 in 2% Al2O3/PVDF membrane versus 3546 L·m−2·h−1 for the membrane without nanoparticles. Contact angle was used to determine how the membrane hydrophilicity changed. The composite membrane contact angle with 2% Al2O3 was 56.34º versus 85.64º for the pristine PVDF membrane. There were clear fibers in SEM images and the membrane surface roughness was heightened by adding nanoparticles. The rejection rate was investigated by UV spectrophotometer and the porosity was measured using a dry-wet weight method. The spun membrane rejection rate was 95.4%. The Al2O3/PVDF spun membrane displayed an outstanding anti-fouling property. This composite spun membrane shows a remarkable efficiency and could be an ideal candidate for water treatment.
The fourth paper “Fundamentals of structure–property relationships in blown films of linear low density polyethylene/low density polyethylene blends” by Rajen M Patel, Teresa P Karjala, Nilesh R Savargaonkar, Philip Salibi and Lizhi Liu studied the structure–property relationship of blown films of linear low density polyethylene/low density polyethylene blends over the entire composition range via decoupling orientation effects from their intrinsic properties. Three different low density polyethylene blends with an octene Ziegler–Natta linear low density polyethylene resin were studied. The machine direction tear strengths for the LLDPE/LDPE blown film went through a minimum as the LDPE concentration increased, almost a mirror image of the melt strength curve for these blends. The machine direction tear decreased significantly up to 40% LDPE, much sharper decrease compared to decrease in intrinsic tear suggesting orientation effects dominating the machine direction tear behavior. The decrease in the dart impact and puncture energy was also due to both an increase in the machine direction orientation, and a decrease in the intrinsic toughness due to decrease in the tie chain concentration, as the LDPE content increased.
Check out the continuing section in the industry news which provides updates on regulatory issues affecting our industry. It is by Huqiu Zhang, PhD of Intertek. Of the various industries they serve, one is in global support to the food and healthcare industry, where they help brands, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers provide safer products to the consumer.
And a final thought. “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.'' – Herm Albright
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