Kota profs develop bangles, tiles from plastic waste, fly ash
KOTA Two chemistry professors at the University of Kota have developed bangles and polymer tiles out a hybrid material prepared through a chemical reaction using waste polythene bags and fly ash, an innovation that they said could be a sustainable solution for waste management.
Fly ash is a solid waste generated from coal burning at thermal power plants. Polythene disposal is a major problem for municipal bodies.
Professor Ashu Rani and assistant professor Ankit Sharma of the pure and applied chemistry department at Kota university said their innovation would help find a long-term solution to the problem of disposal of polythene and fly ash.
Sharma said polythene waste buried in land affects soil permeability and in water it causes toxicity to the aquatic systems. When burnt, plastic waste produces toxic gases that are carcinogenic.
“So, we decided to develop a product from waste polybags and fly ash for their sustainable disposal. We made flakes of polybags to prepare metastable viscous state of polythene waste through heating it under 100 degrees temperature, so that
PROF ASHU RANI,
Kota univ
harmful toxic gases are not produced. Later such metastable viscous state of polythene waste is coated over flyash to produce a hybrid material,” he said.
Prof Ashu Rani said, “We have made decorative bangles worn by women and polymer tiles from the hybrid material.”
She refused to divulge details of the chemical reaction, as they have applied for patent for their innovation.
“Proposed commercial uses of the invention are manufacturing laminate coats, foam coats, thermal insulators, floor tiles, flame retardants, and air bladders for space suits, among others,” she said.
“We have been researching on the innovation for the last four years. Our invention can be of help in safe disposal of plastic waste that poses environmental hazards. The objective of the innovation is to develop highly stable, cost-effective and robust fillers from polybag waste and fly ash for commercially important polymer composites,” Prof Rani said.