Published 04-12-2014
By developing your project FONDECYT Postdoctoral "superparamagnetic nanoparticles stabilized with starch as a pro-oxidant additive degradation of low density polyethylene", Dr.. Claudio Pozo seeks to mitigate the problem of plastic waste, promoting their biotic degradation (microorganisms) and abiotic (UV).
One of the currently used plastic, is low density polyethylene LDPE, present mainly in bags and bottles contendedoras. Key features of the polymer, flexibility is, transparency and high heat resistance, chemical and impact.
From an environmental point of view, LDPE has the disadvantage of being very resistant to biodegradation and difficult to recycle. Faced with this problem, causing high rates of terrestrial and marine pollution, there are two alternatives: proper waste management, and promoting degradation by incorporating additives prooxidant. It is in this last character in which Dr. Claudio Pozo develop your research.
"The mineralization of low density polyethylene, it may take hundreds of years. Because of its difficult to recycle, most end up in landfills and sea, causing serious environmental problems. With the addition of prooxidant (Chemical compounds which induce oxidation) hope to decrease the degradation time in at least one order of magnitude. This reduction will allow more efficient use of landfills and alleviate fragmentation and incorporation of plastic in terrestrial and marine food webs ", Dr account. Well.
It is noteworthy that the project sponsored by the Center for Advanced Polymer Research, CIPA, will last two years and will have a total of about 47 million pesos.
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