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 377 - Hubble turns 30 and still takes amazing images
Episode 376 - Learning from spider webs, venom and combs
Episode 375 - Solar Panels that work at night and on greenhouses
Episode 374 - Lasers, Metal and Insect wings vs Bacteria
Episode 373 - Deep sea reefs, ocean vents and tiny life
Episode 372 - Flexible and wearable electronics
Episode 371 - Marine Mammals vs Parasites
Episode 370 - Explosions in space and citizen science
Episode 369 - 2020MMM, Endangered species and City Foxes
Episode 368 - Brain injuries, epilepsy and treatment options
Episode 367 - Sustainable and green Chemistry
Episode 366 - The YORP Effect, Star Brawls and Solar wind
Episode 365 - Wasps, Bees, tasty meals and pesticide.
Episode 364 - Coronavirus from SARS to MERs and nConv2019
Episode 363 - Mysteries from underwater volcanoes
Episode 362 - Life after a disaster from Fukashima to Chernobyl
Episode 361 - Fast Radio Bursts, Cosmic Rays and Antarctica
Episode 360 - Imaging hard-working Cells keeping you alive during illness
Episode 359 - Life surviving on freezing planets, faint suns and meteorites
Episode 358 - Wildfires, climate change, smog and charcoal
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast
Museum of the Missing
Strange by Nature Podcast
Sasquatch Chronicles
Hidden Brain