Energy Harvesting from Post-Consumer Plastic Waste: A Sustainable Approach to Electricity Generation

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F70883521%3A28110%2F25%3A63592259" target="_blank" >RIV/70883521:28110/25:63592259 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

—

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

—

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Energy Harvesting from Post-Consumer Plastic Waste: A Sustainable Approach to Electricity Generation

Original language description

The growing accumulation of post-consumer plastic waste presents significant environmental challenges. This study explores the feasibility of using unsorted plastic waste, composed of common packaging materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), for energy harvesting applications through mechano-electric conversion. Without the need for complex re-processing or even material separation, these plastic waste compounds were directly utilized as functional layers in nanogenerators, demonstrating the ability to convert mechanical (triboelectric) and thermal (pyroelectric) stimuli into electrical energy. In triboelectric applications, combinations of PET films with heterogeneous plastic waste compounds composed of HDPE/PP/PS/PET exhibited significant energy conversion efficiency, with peak output voltages exceeding 130 V, short-circuit current densities of 50 μA/cm², and charge densities of 390 nC/cm². The so-called rejected recyclable plastic waste, a fraction typically sent to landfill due to its complex composition, also demonstrated promising energy conversion capabilities, achieving output voltages above 60 V in triboelectric configurations when paired with PET films. Pyroelectric measurements showed that waste plastics were capable of generating measurable voltage responses under temperature gradients, albeit at lower magnitudes compared to triboelectric effects. As a secondary focus, the study investigated the integration of these plastic waste materials with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a polymer known for its excellent piezoelectric and triboelectric properties. The combination of immiscible plastic waste blends with PVDF resulted in a remarkable enhancement of energy conversion efficiency, achieving output voltages of up to 800 V and shortcircuit current densities of 260 μA/cm². This hybrid approach leverages the inherent immiscibility of plastic waste to create physical domains within the polymer matrix, enhancing charge separation and energy output. The findings of this study highlight the potential of post-consumer plastic waste as an alternative energy source and emphasize its practical applications in sustainable and cost-effective self-powered devices, such as sensors and low-power electronics. The results also provide a new perspective on the utilization of immiscible plastic waste blends, turning a recycling challenge into an opportunity for green energy solutions.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

20501 - Materials engineering

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů