Upcycling of Expanded Polystyrene Waste-Impregnated PVP Using Wet-Phase Inversion for Effective Microalgae Harvesting

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of upcycling Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) waste collected from food packaging into a membrane for microalgae harvesting, in which membrane filtration often challenges fouling and pore blocking. The target species is Spirulina platensis, with Chlorella vulgaris as a comparison agent. The membrane was fabricated from used Styrofoam, which typically ends up as single-use food packaging waste. In this study, PVP was used as an additive at varying concentrations, from 2 wt.% to 8 wt.%. The experimental results indicated that despite varying PVP concentrations, all EPS waste membranes exhibited near-complete recovery of Spirulina platensis biomass extraction. Despite the similar harvesting efficiency, EPS/PVP-8 exhibited the largest flux of 970.5 LMH/Bar, which is twice the value of the pristine EPS waste membrane. All membranes were hydrophilic; however, hydrophobicity increased with PVP concentration. SEM micrographs revealed that PVP enlarged the membrane surface pores and improved connectivity within the membrane’s structure, ensuring efficient flow. The EPS waste membrane offers promising insights for sustainable materials and wastewater treatment. The upcycling of EPS waste into flat sheet membranes not only addresses the problem of Styrofoam waste accumulation but also paves the way to transform waste into valuable products.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2703
JournalPolymers
Volume16
Issue number19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2024

Keywords

  • expanded polystyrene
  • good health
  • microalgae harvesting
  • polyvinylpyrrolidone
  • Styrofoam
  • upcycle

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Upcycling of Expanded Polystyrene Waste-Impregnated PVP Using Wet-Phase Inversion for Effective Microalgae Harvesting'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this