Materials

叶子和聚合物废物转化为负担得起的可生物降解的“ planstic”细丝

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研究人员香港中国大学已经开发了一种基于聚合物的3D打印材料,几乎可以完全按需溶解。

该团队的“ Planstic”细丝由植物叶和塑料废物组成,具有高渗透纤维,旨在吸引天然酶,以加速其降解速率。经过仅8周的土壤分解,科学家说,他们的材料完全降解了很少的微型颗粒,可能使其成为主流宠物的环保替代品。

“可生物降解的塑料的主要问题是,标有'生物降解'的塑料产品只能分解为较小的碎片。这不是对传统塑料的改进,”该团队在论文中说。“ Planstic通过酶降解解决了这个问题,使微塑料的降解反应更加有效,从而加速了它们的降解。”

“Planstic can reduce the costs of dealing with secondary pollution, and can be used generally in daily life to solve the plastic degradation problem worldwide.”

研究人员的“ Planstic” 3D打印丝背后的生产方法。
研究人员的“计划” 3D打印丝背后的生产方法。通过ACS应用聚合物材料杂志的照片。

微塑料:全球威胁

尽管它们固有的多功能性,廉价性和耐腐蚀性,但有充分的证明,塑料可能需要数千年的时间才能降解。这意味着,一旦丢弃了基于聚合物的产品,它们就会成为环境的持久污染物,当它们分解成越来越多地进入人类饮食的有毒微型塑料时,这尤其有问题。

While degradable plastic bags are becoming the norm at Western supermarkets, the Hong Kong-based scientists point out that these still cause secondary pollution, via the raw materials and high energy consumed in the process of making them.

同样,尽管一次性食品相关的包装,餐具和容器通常被标记为由可生物降解的塑料制成,但实际上,它们只能被分解成较小的碎片。结果,许多这样的聚合物仍导致了一个越来越多的微型问题,根据最近research,现在使美国人平均每年吃39,000-52,000个聚合物颗粒。

在八周的时间内,计划的细丝被降解。
在八周的时间内,计划的细丝被降解。通过ACS应用聚合物材料杂志的图像。

引入“计划”解决方案

为了帮助世界脱离微型饮食,香港团队制定了一种低成本的植物塑料,该塑料利用天然酶更有效地降解了微型聚合物颗粒。该研究人员的新颖材料被称为Planstic,是通过红链叶和地面宠物的组合创建的,这些材料被混合,增塑和可打印在“ Chembox”中。

在创建材料的过程中,科学家发现可以从短增长周期中整合叶子Cercis chinensis, which naturally includes long fibers that lend themselves to degradation. The team also discovered that reinforcing these fibers at intersections improved the resulting filament’s properties, while each ingredient’s dosage could be optimized to minimize energy loss.

一旦他们完成了材料,决定了80%纤维和20%宠物的混合物,研究人员将其存放Nanoscribe光子专业GT23D打印机,分为一系列微观结构。在SEM成像表明它可以将3D打印成具有小至160 nm的精细特征的零件之后,Planstic在压力测试下证明自己更灵活,但比普通塑料袋更强大。

In order to assess their filament’s biodegradability, the team later deposited it into composted soil, finding that the enzymes within its leaf base decomposed “hard-to-degrade substances” like cutin. Interestingly, the material’s less stable surface also improved decomposition rates, as it allowed microorganisms to contact with it and accelerate the process, helping achieve “nearly total plastic degradation.”

Following the success of initial trials, the researchers say their Planstic material proves that “attracting microbials” can “accelerate plastic degradation.” Moving forwards, the team suggest that such closed-loop recycling methods could even replace landfill or incineration disposal methods, “reducing the energy pressure of nanotechnology and [helping] build an environmentally-friendly society.”

Tecla 3D印刷房屋仅使用6kW的能量在200小时内完成。通过黄蜂的照片。
近年来,基于生物的3D打印一直在扩展。照片显示了黄蜂的“ Tecla”生态狂人。通过黄蜂的照片。

推进基于生物的AM

鉴于许多3D打印聚合物与其他任何塑料一样是世界上微型塑料问题的一部分,因此研究人员继续开发出包含各种自然元素的生物抗化剂,从土壤到昆虫粪便。

科学家麻省理工学院(麻省理工学院)已转向实验室种植的木单元,作为生产的一种手段sustainable 3D printable biomaterial他们自己的。通过培养他们的材料,在一个method akin to culturing meat, the team believe that it could be turned into a wood replacement with the potential to be 3D printed into home-made furniture.

在商业层面,桌面金属还已经开始通过它的木制木制零件福特wood 3D printing subsidiary. The company is now upscaling waste byproducts from the wood manufacturing and paper industries such as sawdust and lignin, before mixing these with a bio-epoxy resin for architectural additive manufacturing applications.

Elsewhere, in the construction industry,WASP已经利用土壤,米饭,果壳和石灰等天然材料打印了整个eco-friendly organic house. Finished earlier this year, the self-supporting carbon-neutral ‘TECLA’ home, is designed to act as a proof-of-concept for a sustainable new house building model.

The researchers’ findings are detailed in their paper titled “Planstic: Biodegradable Plastic with High-Entropy Fibers Made from Waste Plastic and Plant Leaves,” which was co-authored by Ziao Wang, Yao Xu, Rulin Liu, and Xi Zhu.

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特色图像显示了研究人员“ Planstic” 3D打印丝的生产方法的细分。通过ACS应用聚合物材料杂志的照片。