Issue 84 - May 2022

Rice News: Treated Plastic Waste Good at Grabbing Carbon Dioxide

Rice University lab turns hard-to-process trash into carbon-capture master

Pores in this micron-scale particle, the result of pyrolyzing in the presence of potassium acetate, are able to sequester carbon dioxide from streams of flue gas. Rice University scientists say the process could be a win-win for a pair of pressing environmental problems. (Credit: Tour Group/Rice University)

HOUSTON – Here’s another thing to do with that mountain of used plastic: make it soak up excess carbon dioxide.

What seems like a win-win for a pair of pressing environmental problems describes a Rice University lab’s newly discovered chemical technique to turn waste plastic into an effective carbon dioxide (CO2) sorbent for industry.

Rice chemist James Tour and co-lead authors Rice alumnus Wala Algozeeb, graduate student Paul Savas and postdoctoral researcher Zhe Yuan reported in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano that heating plastic waste in the presence of potassium acetateproduced particles with nanometer-scale pores that trap carbon dioxide molecules.

These particles can be used to remove CO2 from flue gas streams, they reported.

“Point sources of CO2 emissions like power plant exhaust stacks can be fitted with this waste-plastic-derived material to remove enormous amounts of CO2 that would normally fill the atmosphere,” Tour said. “It is a great way to have one problem, plastic waste, address another problem, CO2 emissions.”

Rice University graduate student Paul Savas feeds raw plastic into a crusher to prepare it for pyrolysis, or heating in an inert atmosphere. Pyrolyzing the material in the presence of potassium salts turns it into a material that sequesters carbon dioxide from flue gas. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

A current process to pyrolyze plastic known as chemical recycling produces oils, gases and waxes, but the carbon byproduct is nearly useless, he said. However, pyrolyzing plastic in the presence of potassium acetate produces porous particles able to hold up to 18% of their own weight in CO2 at room temperature.

In addition, while typical chemical recycling doesn’t work for polymer wastes with low fixed carbon content in order to generate CO2 sorbent, including polypropylene and high- and low-density polyethylene, the main constituents in municipal waste, those plastics work especially well for capturing CO2 when treated with potassium acetate.

The lab estimates the cost of carbon dioxide capture from a point source like post-combustion flue gas would be $21 a ton, far less expensive than the energy-intensive, amine-based process in common use to pull carbon dioxide from natural gas feeds, which costs $80-$160 a ton.

Like amine-based materials, the sorbent can be reused. Heating it to about 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit) releases trapped carbon dioxide from the pores, regenerating about 90% of the material’s binding sites.

Because it cycles at 75 degrees Celsius, polyvinyl chloride vessels are sufficient to replace the expensive metal vessels that are normally required. The researchers noted the sorbent is expected to have a longer lifetime than liquid amines, cutting downtime due to corrosion and sludge formation.

Rice University chemists modify waste plastic to absorb carbon dioxide from flue gas streams more efficiently than current processes. From left: Paul Savas, James Tour and Zhe Yuan. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

To make the material, waste plastic is turned into powder, mixed with potassium acetate and heated at 600 C (1,112 F) for 45 minutes to optimize the pores, most of which are about 0.7 nanometers wide. Higher temperatures led to wider pores. The process also produces a wax byproduct that can be recycled into detergents or lubricants, the researchers said.

Co-authors of the paper are Rice alumnus Zhe Wang and research scientist Carter Kittrell, and graduate student Jacklyn Hall and Praveen Bollini, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, both of the University of Houston. Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry as well as a professor of materials science and nanoengineering.

The Department of Energy (DE-F0031794) and Saudi Aramco supported the research.

Read the abstract HERE

A Rice University chemist prepares to heat plastic powder combined with potassium acetate to turn it into porous particles that absorb carbon dioxide. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

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Euselenops Luniceps – Jack’s May 2022 Underwater Photograph

Euselenops luniceps is a most unique member of the family Pleurobranchidae, the side-gilled sea slugs. Unlike other members of this family, Euselenops has a very flattened, low relief body, and its foot is much wider than its mantle. In most other pleurobranchs the foot and mantle are of similar size. Looking and behaving more like a cephalaspidean, Euselenops is highly adapted for living in sandy environments. The large oval veil is edged with a series of long, fine branched sensory papillae, as seen here in Marc’s photo and on the Sea Slug Forum. As seen on the Forum, Euselenops dives under the surface of the sand to feed and hide from predators. When completely covered only the white tips of the rhinophores and the pallial siphon, protrude from the substrate.

Some of the body adaptations seen in Euselenops , are common in several other completely unrelated sand-dwelling sea slugs. These include Kalinga ornata, some of the Armina’s and Cerberilla . They all have a broad foot, flattened body, and wide oral veil with sensory papillae or long sensory oral tentacles for locating prey. Like these other sandy bottom predators, it is active at night. Little is known about what it feeds on however.

Euselenops luniceps is also a good swimmer, having been observed swimming with body undulations like those used by sea hares or the Spanish Dancer, Hexabranchus sanguineus.

Cuvier derived the name of this species from its moon-shaped body. Specimens may reach 75 mm in length and occur throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific, where they are found on sandy or fine coral debris bottoms.

See more of Jack Fung’s underwater photography on Instagram

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Issue 84 - May 2022

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – May 2022 – Issue 84

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Here’s another thing to do with that mountain of used plastic: make it soak up excess carbon dioxide. What seems like a win-win for a pair of pressing environmental problems describes a Rice University lab’s newly discovered chemical technique to turn waste plastic into an effective carbon dioxide (CO2) sorbent for the industry. Read more…

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The FREE Weekly Conservation Post and Jobs List

Signing up for the free Weekly Newsletter & Jobs List will get you a round-up of upcoming events, webinars, meetings, reports, funding opportunities, photos of the week, and recent postings to the jobs list.

To sign up for our free subscription, please Click Here or email us Here.

Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

If you are interested in contributing or getting involved, email us Here.

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Issue 84 - May 2022

The 5 Best Places in the World to See Marine Life

By Lana B.

Anybody with experience of scuba diving and snorkelling will tell you that there is no experience comparable to entering the world of aquatic creatures and witnessing them in their natural environment. There are many places around the world where you can do this. Some, however, are truly special, and here we’ve gathered five of the very best.

Palawan, Philippines

The Philippines are home to a huge variety of marine life, such as manta rays, whale sharks, seahorses, and bizarre and fascinating frogfish. The best place to visit for biodiversity is the island of Palawan, particularly the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a marine and bird sanctuary that can be explored by divers and snorkelers from liveaboards departing from Puerto Princesa City.

Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are known for having such a large number of endemic species that they inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, and this extends to the marine life in the surrounding waters.

All sorts of amazing creatures can be seen, from dolphins to hammerhead sharks, to sea turtles, to penguins. However, sea conditions are often challenging and most areas are only for experienced divers. The islands can be reached by flying out from mainland Ecuador.

Grand Bahama, Bahamas

If you want to see sharks in their natural habitat, there’s no better place in the world to visit than the Bahamas. If you can only visit one location, make it to Tiger Beach, in Grand Bahama. As its name suggests, it’s the ideal location to find tiger sharks, as well as a variety of other marine creatures, so grab a plane or fast ferry from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport and start exploring!

Palau

Palau is one of the world’s finest destinations for scuba diving, boasting hundreds of species of coral and fish, manta rays and various species of sharks. All of this is set in a relatively unspoiled environment, with very little in the way of pollution or encroachment. You’re guaranteed an unforgettable experience.

Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil

With pristine waters, perfect diving temperatures, and an absolutely dizzying array of aquatic creatures including octopi, hammerhead sharks, barracuda, sea turtles, manta rays, sand sharks, and more, this group of islands off the coast of Brazil is a diver’s paradise.

The only problem is getting there; access to Fernando de Noronha is restricted to preserve the unique environment, and you will need to book months in advance. Once this is resolved, however, you’re guaranteed the experience of a lifetime.

Want to find more information about locations around the world? Head over to CrowdsourcedExplorer.com, where you can find locally sourced information about thousands of cities around the world.

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