From the article "Duo turn plastic waste into a concrete idea", Goy (2016) stated that scientists have found an eco-friendly way to recycle plastic waste with the use of carbon nanotubes as an accompaniment to cement, reducing the use of cement. He explained that company BlueRen processes plastic into gases, following which the carbon nanotubes can be formed from these gases. The author mentioned that over the past few years, a very small percentage of plastic waste was recycled. The usage of carbon nanotubes has a number of benefits because it has good attributes as an additive to cement. The author also reported that technology company BlueRen uses a different material which inflicts less harm on the environment. Carbon nanotubes technology helps contribute to a greener environment while with sufficient research and prototyping, the technology has a bright future because there are a number of additional benefits to this technology.
Firstly, Goy (2016) reported that BlueRen's technology processes plastic waste into gases, following which the gases are then further processed through a number of chambers in which the gases would form into carbon nanotubes. The way plastic waste can be used to form carbon nanotubes can significantly increase the percentage of plastic waste being recycled. Companies like BlueRen can utilize their technology in helping to contribute to a greener environment with reduced amount of plastic waste. He also stated that in the past, recycling of plastic waste was proved to be ineffective because the process of forming carbon nanotubes was expensive and the operation released harmful gases into the environment. However, to add on to a healthier and cleaner environment, Goy (2016) claimed that BlueRen uses a different stimulus material, which is a greener choice. These factors help reduce the amount of plastic waste not being recycled as well as utilizing an environmentally friendly method to churn plastic waste into something useful.
Secondly, in his research article, Manzur (2016) pointed that carbon nanotubes are a good additive to cement because of the materials' immensely excellent attributes. He also suggested that carbon nanotubes have high strength and flexibility which helps in integrating them perfectly into solid composite materials such as cement. For example, carbon nanotubes have high aspect ratios as much as 2,500,000 to 1. He claimed that carbon nanotubes' attributes also aid in reducing crack size and ensuring proper distribution of load transfers. Based on his research, Manzur (2016) mentioned that cement with carbon nanotubes expresses a much higher compression and flexion strength with comparison to regular simple cement paste. With the use of carbon nanotubes as an additive, cement usage can be significantly reduced.
Lastly, in her research article, Lytle (2017) explained that majority of plastic waste is imperishable and takes a long time to degrade, hence becoming debris that lasts for a long time if no proper clearing system is implemented. Majority of the plastic waste are being deposited onto waste dumps, taking up unnecessary space of land. In addition, she also mentioned that most plastic waste floats on water which means they are able to travel further and spread, endangering wildlife animals and destroy natural habitats in the process. With BlueRen's technology to recycle plastic waste into carbon nanotubes, these problems will significantly decrease.
In conclusion, recycling plastic waste to form carbon nanotubes is a positive and favorable research technology which can contribute to a greener and cleaner environment due to company BlueRen's innovative recycling technology.
References:
Claire Lytle (2017). When the Mermaids Cry: The Great Plastic Tide. Coastal Care. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from http://plastic-pollution.org/
Priscilla Goy (2016). Duo Turn Plastic Waste into A Concrete Idea. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/duo-turn-plastic-waste-into-a-concrete-idea
Tanvir Manzur (2016). Potential of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Cement Composites as Concrete Repair Material. Hindawi. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2016/1421959/
Edited 23 October 2017
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