Qatar University has embarked on a project to recycle plastic waste
into usable everyday items
For all its simplicity (and some say artistic pointlessness), a plastic bag playing around in the wind became an iconic image of Hollywood chicflick, American Beauty. Yet in many respects, it proved that plastic waste has become an everyday part of life that we do not attach importance on its environmental impact.
The issue is perceived as so great on the fragile ecosystem of the country that Qatar University has set up a research project on recycling plastic wastes. A project recently sealed support from the University of Sheffield, England, and with financial support from Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), the project will be a study of turning plastic wastes into usable everyday items.
The research, the first and one of the largest of its kind, is the hopeful start of a Polymer Centre, and will focus on recycling plastic waste and producing materials that are environmentally friendly.
With the options open about using these in local industries, in construction and factories, it is the way forward for a country which is already facing a problem of plastic wastes.
Taking action
For Dr Mariam Al Ma'adeed, Head of Qatar University's Materials Technology Unit (MTU), and the major driving force behind the project, the beginnings of Polymer Recycling is the culmination of witnessing the large amount of plastic rubbish littering in Qatar, and polymer effluents produced by the Oil and Gas industry. With expertise from Sheffield University, and QR2 million in funding from QSTP, Qatar University can now set the ball rolling to research what exactly it takes to successfully recycle plastics.
"For this project, there are three main objectives, the first of which is optimising mechanical properties of free-cycle polymers. Then we will also look into improving the thermal properties, and analysing the life-cycle, or life-expectancy of the recycled plastic products."
Under this project, all three objectives will be reduced to one core goal reducing waste plastics in Qatar. Preliminary studies of waste plastics in the country have shown that as much as 16 percent of the wastes being disposed of in Qatar are plastics. Considering all the other items thrown away on a daily basis, this still represents quite a substantial aspect to the detritus. With the focus of recycling as much on factory waste, as on municipal waste, and covering domestic waste, this will be an all round concerted effort to solve the issue of non-biodegradable waste.
Targeting the cause
"It is primarily factory waste we hope to target under this project, because it is easier to get, it's purer and we are more aware of exactly what the components are. We will also be working on the municipality waste, which is more difficult, because different bins have only recently been introduced, as in Dahl Al Hammam and within Qatar University which is run by the students from the Environmental Club," says Dr Al Ma'adeed.
The benefit and ultimate goal of recycling plastics will be their use in the construction industry - as building appliances, doors, cupboards, and roof coverings. With the Polymer Recycling Project still young, the team is concentrating on just what these materials, once recycled, are capable of.
"It also depends on how much we can improve on the properties, as they will be degraded upon recycling and cannot be used at the same level," adds Professor Ramazan Kahraman, a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Qatar University, "But if you improve the properties, then you can use them at the same level or even better, so this initial study will help us find out how far we can improve them, as well as what difficulties we may encounter."
Starting out
At the beginning, the study will be starting off small-scale, using only small amounts of materials with which to conduct initial tests. The final objective will be to produce materials suitably durable enough to be used within the construction industry - hence the inclusion of the life-cycle aspect to the tests that will be done before the materials will be deemed eligible for general release. While the other two parts of the project will see the academics trying to improve the life-time guarantee, through computational and numerical studies, of the final products.
"We will produce only small amounts of different plastics to test out each plastic type, and to ensure that we are producing these materials to withstand the harsh conditions of Qatar's climates. We will be placing them within the 'Conditioning Chamber', to test their durability," notes Professor Kahraman, "It will be best if we use products that can be used in the construction industry as they will have to carry loads."
Other tests will include those for chemical properties (what the products are made of), mechanical characterisation which will determine the actual strength of the finished products, and how hard the surface is. Alongside this, the degradability of the items, and how long they survive in tough conditions such as those found in Qatar, will also be checked. One important test that each item will be placed through is to ensure the thermal properties primarily because of the necessity to keep checking the changes that the plastic will undergo during the recycling process.
Establishing collaborations
Adding to this, Dr Al Ma'adeed notes, "We are also collaborating with the University of Sheffield where we will be exchanging expertise and material."
While she mentioned that Qatar University already has all the capabilities in terms of access to the right technology and appropriately-qualified staff to carry out the tests, she noted, "The collaboration with Shef field will be a massive bonus to us, as Sheffield has high quality researchers who have greater experience in dealing with polymer and plastic recycling. They also have excellent experience with a programme that tests the life-cycle aspects of the final products, which we will import for our researchers to learn and use for the life-cycle tests."
Effective solutions
Previous 'recycling' techniques which have been used to replace or provide where there are deficiencies, have caused certain issues to be raised about their environmentalism desalination and the environmental impacts it has despite easing water pressures, is a case in point. But there is an overwhelming optimism that this particular Polymer Recycling project will not face the same issues. It is currently not known just how polluting the recycling of polymers will be, although there is, of course, much optimism regarding just how far the environmental damage can be reduced.
"The fact that we are taking away environmental pollution, reusing waste plastics rather than simply leaving them in their environment, in the first place means that we are automatically outweighing the pros from the cons," says Dr Al Ma'adeed.
This point was further supported by Professor Kahraman, who added, "There are studies using wood in reinforced plastics, so you are reusing the waste and biodegradable material, a process that can be extended further."
For Dr Al Ma'adeed, it was important to point out that no hazardous material would be created as a by-product of the recycling process. Recycling these plastics, even for heavy duty purposes, has the benefit of simple processing they can be melted easily and at relatively low temperatures, making the need for much energy expenditure quite reasonable.
Important steps
One of the chief questions currently on the table is that of whether plastics can be recycled and improved upon without high processing costs. Although the main purpose is to be able to prove that they can be reused, it is important for the team to be able to make this a viable alternative economically, without providing a means of producing new plastics and discarding the old.
Questions of efficiency and just how much more pollution it creates have also been raised.
The start of this project will also allow the team to test international waters, finding out the potential of sending the finished recycled products to be used overseas. Although the focus is not on financial profit, the potential for making the recycling of plastics as a viable, environmentally friendly alternative is set to hit success.
"Many institutes and establishments based in Qatar are reaching out to us with their interest in collaborating with us on this project, to reduce their waste, including Barwa, currently in the throes of organising a 'Green Building Society' and Qatar Plastic Products Company (QPPC)," she says, As things stand, the project has yet to make any significant steps towards the effective recycling of polymers with the project only just getting off the ground, it is also yet to be seen just how successful this idea will be. With Qatar's drive towards a green future, it is sure to get the support from higher authorities, and with many companies already having shown their support for the research, there is indeed a sound basis on which Qatar University and its partners can build.
By Nadia Ismail
© Qatar Today 2009
