Modern Approaches to Disposal of Polymers for Household Use

Abstract

In the present work, we solved the problem of converting low-density polyethylene waste into a powder state as the first stage of involving plastic in the biogeochemical processes of its natural degradation. Acceleration of the fragmentation of polyethylene waste was ensured by adding 2D graphene structures (few-layer graphenes, FLGs), obtained by carbonization of precursors represented by natural materials (glucose, starch, cellulose, lignin, cedar bark, and Sosnowski’s hogweed biomass), to the polymer matrix. It was shown that polyethylene modification with few-layer graphenes leads to a sharp drop in elasticity of the resulting composites compared to the original polyethylene. At the same time, the strength of the composite under deformations acceptable for disposable polymer products remains at the level of the original polymer, which provides the necessary service life of products made from the proposed composites. The FLGs obtained by carbonization of lignin and cedar bark were suggested as optimal modifiers for obtaining polyethylene-based composites such that products thereof can be involved in microbial recycling.