Study on the influence of advanced treatment processes on the surface properties of polylactic acid for a bio-based circular economy for plastics.

New biotechnological processes using microorganisms and/or enzymes to convert carbonaceous resources, either biomass or depolymerized plastics into a broad range of different bioproducts are recognized for their high potential for reduced energy consumption and reduced GHG emissions. However, the hydrophobicity, high molecular weight, chemical and structural composition of most of them hinders their biodegradation. A solution to reduce the impact of non-biodegradable polymers spread in the environment would be to make them biodegradable.

Synergetic decolorization of azo dyes using ultrasounds, photocatalysis and photo-fenton reaction.

In the present work, ultrasound irradiation, photocatalysis with TiO, Fenton/Photo-Fenton reaction, and the combination of those techniques were investigated for the decolorization of industrial dyes in order to study their synergy. Three azo dyes were selected from the weaving industry. Their degradation was examined via UV illumination, Fenton and Photo-Fenton reaction as well as ultrasound irradiation at low (20 kHz) and high frequencies (860 kHz).

Influence of organic phase change materials on the physical and mechanical properties of HDPE and PP polymers.

In this work, the compatibility of four commercially available organic phase change materials, with melting points in the temperature range 44-58 °C and with engineering polymers high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP), is investigated. These polymers are used for the design and manufacture of hot and cold thermal energy storage tanks or encapsulation media. The study involves interaction of polymer specimens with the four different phase change materials for a period of time up to 40 days under high temperature.