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 496 - Dwarf Planets and Massive collisions forming Moons
Episode 495 - Plants without sunlight and electricity from sweat
Episode 494 - Mass extinctions and recovery in our oceans
Episode 493 - Pleasant memories of sound and music relieving pain
Episode 492 - Finding hidden objects in the early universe
Episode 491 - Impacts and the messy history of the early solar system
Episode 490 - The history of fire on Earth
Episode 498 - Clean air, captured carbon and paper sensors
Episode 488 -Mysteries from the formation of our solar system
Episode 487 - Feeding the planet without damaging it
Episode 486 - Bypassing the brains defences for treatment
Episode 485 - Plants race against rising sea levels
Episode 484 - The links between the Core and the volcanos on the surface
Episode 483 - Constantly changing moons of Jupiter
Episode 482 - Nova and Micronova not quite super still immensely powerful
Episode 481 - Finding hidden life in our oceans with RNA and DNA
Episode 480 - Bacteria turning methane into electricity, and corrupting corn
Episode 479 - Fish that count and Spiders hearing with their webs
Episode 478 - Special properties of water from molecular to drinking water to deep into the earth
Episode 477 - Plants reacting and defending themselves
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