Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T05:39:11.800Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Distributed Recycling of Post-Consumer Plastic Waste in Rural Areas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2013

M. Kreiger ,
G. C. Anzalone ,
M. L. Mulder ,
A. Glover  and
J. M Pearce
M. Kreiger
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
G. C. Anzalone
Affiliation:
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
M. L. Mulder
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
A. Glover
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
J. M Pearce*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, United States.
*
*corresponding author: pearce@mtu.edu
Get access

Abstract

Although the environmental benefits of recycling plastics are well established and most geographic locations within the U.S. offer some plastic recycling, recycling rates are often low. Low recycling rates are often observed in conventional centralized recycling plants due to the challenge of collection and transportation for high-volume low-weight polymers. The recycling rates decline further when low population density, rural and relatively isolated communities are investigated because of the distance to recycling centers makes recycling difficult and both economically and energetically inefficient. The recent development of a class of open source hardware tools (e.g. RecycleBots) able to convert post-consumer plastic waste to polymer filament for 3-D printing offer a means to increase recycling rates by enabling distributed recycling. In addition, to reducing the amount of plastic disposed of in landfills, distributed recycling may also provide low-income families a means to supplement their income with domestic production of small plastic goods. This study investigates the environmental impacts of polymer recycling. A life-cycle analysis (LCA) for centralized plastic recycling is compared to the implementation of distributed recycling in rural areas. Environmental impact of both recycling scenarios is quantified in terms of energy use per unit mass of recycled plastic. A sensitivity analysis is used to determine the environmental impacts of both systems as a function of distance to recycling centers. The results of this LCA study indicate that distributed recycling of HDPE for rural regions is energetically favorable to either using virgin resin or conventional recycling processes. This study indicates that the technical progress in solar photovoltaic devices, open-source 3-D printing and polymer filament extrusion have made distributed polymer recycling and upcycling technically viable.

Keywords

Recyclingpolymerenvironmentally benign
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1492: Symposium D/G – Materials for Sustainable Development—Challenges and Opportunities , 2013 , pp. 91 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Lebreton, L.C.-M., Greer, S.D., Borrero, J.C.. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 54, 3 (2012).Google Scholar
Shen, L., Haufe, J., Patel, M.K.. Product Overview and Market Projection of Emerging Bio-based Plastics PRO-BIP 2009, Utrecht University Final Report, (2009).Google Scholar
Lotfi, A., Polymer Recycling. WWW document, (http://www.lotfi.net/recycle/plastic.html).Google Scholar
Rees, J.F.. J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 30, 1 (1980).Google Scholar
Derraik, J.G.B.. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 44 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U.S. National Park Service. Time it takes for garbage to decompose in the environment. WWW document http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/coastal/trash/documents/marine_debris.pdf ) .Google Scholar
Arena, U., Mastellone, M.L., Perugini, F.. Int. J. of Life Cycle Assessment. 8, 2 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perugini, F., Mastellone, M.L., Arena, U.. Environ. Prog. 24, 2 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Subramanian, P.M.. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 28, 3–4 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Björklund, A., Finnveden, G.. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 44, 4 (2005)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U. S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Urban and Rural Classification and Urban Area Criteria. WWW doc http://www.census.gov/geo/www/ua/2010urbanruralclass.html).Google Scholar
Upcraft, S., Fletcher, R.. Assembly Automation. 23, 4 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, I., Rosen, D.W., Stucker, B.. Physics Procedia. 5 (2010).Google Scholar
Petrovic, V., Gonzalez, J.V.H., Ferrando, O.J., Gordillo, J.D., Puchades, J.R.B., Griñan, L.P.. Int. J. of Production Research. 49, 4 (2010).Google Scholar
Gebhardt, A., Schmidt, F., Hötter, J., Sokalla, W., Sokalla, P.. Physics Procedia. 5, 2 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crane, N.B., Tuckerman, J., Nielson, G.N.. Rapid Prototyping Journal. 17, 3 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearce, J. M, Morris Blair, C., Laciak, K. J., Andrews, R., Nosrat, A., Zelenika-Zovko, I., J. of Sust. Dev. 3(4), 17 (2010).Google Scholar
Rosato, D.. Plastics Processing Data Handbook. 2nd ed. (Springer-Verlag, 1997).Google Scholar
Torcellini, R.. Plastic extruder for growing media. WWW document, (http://web4deb.blogspot.com/2010/12/plastic-extruder-for-growing-media.html ) .Google Scholar
Baechler, C., DeVuono, M., Pearce, J.M.. Distributed recycling of waste polymer into reprap feedstock. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 19(2) (in press) March 2013.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Filabot Personal Filament Maker. WWW document http://filabot.com).Google Scholar
Lyman Filament Extruder. WWW document http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:30642).Google Scholar
Loultcheva, M., Proietto, M., Jilov, N., La Mantia, F.P.. Polymer Degradation and Stability. 57, 1 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Associates, Franklin, Life cycle inventory of 100% postconsumer HDPE and PET recycled resin from postconsumer containers and packaging, (2011).Google Scholar
Hammond, G., Jones, C.. Inventory of carbon & energy (ICE) Version 1.6a, Bath U. (2008).Google Scholar
Pearce, J., Lau, A., Net Energy Analysis For Sustainable Energy Production From Silicon Based Solar Cells. Proc. of A. Soc. of Mech. Eng. Solar, Cambell-Howe (Ed.), (2002).Google Scholar
Branker, K., Pathak, M. J.M., Pearce, J. M., A Review of Solar Photovoltaic Levelized Cost of Electricity”, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 15, 4470 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branker, K., Shackles, E., Pearce, J. M., Peer-to-Peer Financing Mechanisms to Accelerate Renewable Energy Deployment. J. of Sust. Finance & Investment 1(2), 138 (2011).Google Scholar