Smart phones, computers, televisions and even children's toys are part of what makes our modern world so exciting. But these often rely on plastics and rare earth metals which are hard to recycle. Are there efficient ways to capture all those rare earth metals? How are rare earth metals in old phones recycled today, and can we make it better? Knowing which bin to put plastic in is difficult, so what if there was a more universal way to recycle plastics? How does turning plastic into a gas with the help of steam help create a circular plastic economy? How can some steam power help crack plastics back into their most basic forms? Is it possible to recycle plastics without to build whole new plastic refineries? Regulation is often playing catch up to making materials safe. Are the latest generation of 'safe' fire retardants any safer than those that came before?
References:
Robert F. Higgins, Thibault Cheisson, Bren E. Cole, Brian C. Manor, Patrick J. Carroll, Eric J Schelter. Magnetic Field Directed Rare-Earth Separations. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/anie.201911606
Arlene Blum, Mamta Behl, Linda S. Birnbaum, Miriam L. Diamond, Allison Phillips, Veena Singla, Nisha S. Sipes, Heather M. Stapleton, Marta Venier. Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants: Are They a Regrettable Substitution for Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers? Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2019; DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.9b00582
Henrik Thunman, Teresa Berdugo Vilches, Martin Seemann, Jelena Maric, Isabel Cañete Vela, Sébastien Pissot, Huong N.T. Nguyen. Circular use of plastics-transformation of existing petrochemical clusters into thermochemical recycling plants with 100% plastics recovery. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 2019; 22: e00124 DOI: 10.1016/j.susmat.2019.e00124
Episode 555 - Breaking down toxic fungus and learning to live alongside them
Episode 554 - Collaborating to solve Martian Mysteries
Episode 553 - E.coli to the rescue and boosting geothermal power
Episode 552 - Talking to plants and how a jellyfish learns
Episode 551 - Boosting your immune system to fight back cancer
Episode 550 - Cosmic Collisions and galactic devouring
Episode 549 - Water infrastructure and Archaeology
Episode 548 - A paradise for Octopi at the base of a volcano
Episode 547 - Concussions - How long do you really have to wait?
Episode 546 - What’s going on with whale’s behaviour
Episode 545 - Phages taking the fight to bacteria
Episode 544 - Metals recovering from fatigue
Episode 543 - Monitoring vital signs without getting in the way
Episode 542 - Evolving multicellular life in the lab
Episode 541 - The building blocks chemistry
Episode 540 - On the shoulders of giants
Episode 539 - Dangerous but beautiful space weather
Episode 538 - Colossal volcanic eruptions taking out satellites
Episode 537 - Better batteries that last even in subzero temperatures
Episode536 - Taking pollution out of the atmosphere
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Museum of the Missing
Strange by Nature Podcast
The Poetry of Science
Sasquatch Chronicles
Hidden Brain