Vol. 6 • Issue 3 • Jul. – Sept. 2005For private circulation only

Recycling of Electronics &Electrical Waste

Office Bearers• • •

President,Governing Council

Mr. K. G. Ramanathan

• • •

Chairman, Executive CommitteeMr. M. P. Taparia

• • •

Executive Secretary /Member, Executive Committee

Mr. Sujit Banerji

• • •

Treasurer /Member, Executive Committee

Mr. Rajiv Tolat

• • •

NGO - ProjectsMember, Governing Council

Mr. Vijay Merchant

• • •

Convenor – CommunicationsMr. P. P. Kharas

In this Issue

Readers are welcome to send their suggestions, contributions, articles, case studies,and new developments for publication in the Newsletter to the ICPE address.

Reproduction of material from this Newsletter is welcome, with prior permission.

Mumbai205, Hari Chambers, 58/64, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400 023.

Tel.: 022-2269 4105 / 06, 3090 4633 • Fax: 91-22-2264 1468E-mail: icpe@vsnl.net • Website: www.icpenviro.org • www.envis-icpe.com

New Delhi1009, Vijaya Building, 10th Floor, 17 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi - 110 001.

Tel.: 011-2332 6377 • Fax: 011-2332 6376 • E-mail: icpedelhi@sify.com

For more information on Eco-Echoes and about the contents, please contactMr. T. K. Bandopadhyay, Technical Manager, ICPE, Mumbai.

PLASTINDIA 2006Asia’s biggest and one of the largest fairs in the world of Plastics

6th International Plastics Exhibition & Conference9th-14th February, 2006Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

PLASTINDIA 2006, one of thelargest plastics exhibition, offersan opportunity for global marketleaders to meet, exchange ideasand view business prospects. Itwill provide an opportunity forboth, members of the Indianplastics fraternity and theirinternational counterparts, todiscuss and display their latestinnovations in plastics and achance to showcase the status ofthe global industry in terms ofmarket knowledge and polymertechnology. It will be a forumwhere diverse skill sets andindustry knowledge are broughttogether on a common platform.

A two-day conference will beheld on 11 and 12 February,2006, alongside the main event.The aim of this event, which isdivided into sessions on businessand technology, is to bringtogether eminent scholars, con-sultants, professionals, scientistsand industrial experts for a fruit-ful engagement on issues con-cerning the Plastics Industry.

For further details contact:PLASTINDIA FOUNDATIONTel.: (022) 2683 2911E-mail: plastindia@vsnl.comwww.plastindia.org

ICPE at PlastindiaICPE will be participating in Plastindia 2006. Photographic and informativepanels will be displayed in the stall – to create greater awareness on the needfor responsible disposal of waste and benefits of recycling of plastics waste.

Audio-visual presentations and educative films will also be screened.

Visit ICPE Stall No. 1, Hall 8, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

Cover Story

Recycling of Waste

from Electronic

and Electrical

Equipment in

the Netherlands 3

News Item

Ban on Plastic Bags 6

A Novel Method for

the Production of

Biodegradable Polylactic

Acid (PLA) from

Municipal Food Waste 11

Initiative

Solid Waste Management at

Sanjay Gandhi National Park,

Borivali, Mumbai 15

International News

Waste-by-Rail System 15

3

Abstract:An innovative research programin the Netherlands has shownthat it is technically and eco-nomically feasible to collect andconvert waste from electrical andelectronic equipment, WEEE, intosound products for reuse. Rede-sign of equipment and improvedwaste treatment can lower theenvironmental impact in thewhole lifecycle of these products.Mechanical testing and fieldtests have shown that the plas-tic fraction from WEEE treatmentcan be purified into its differentplastic fractions for reuse in atechnically and economicallyfeasible way. Environmentalstudies have shown that dedi-cated dismantling, shreddingand separation give the largestenvironmental improvements forlarger equipment, e.g., equip-ment with a cathode ray tube, istreated in such a way. From anenvironmental point of viewseparate treatment of smallequipment like mobile phonesgive better results compared totreatment of mixed equipment.

1. IntroductionThe use of plastics in electronicand electrical equipment (E&E)is increasing rapidly, see Fig. 1.Besides plastics, steel and glassthese products also contain toxiccompounds, e.g., CFC’s, flameretardants and heavy metals likemercury, copper, cadmium andlead. These components will leakinto the environment when E&E

discarded products are nottreated in the right way. For thisreason the Dutch government setup rules regarding the collectionof different types of E&E prod-ucts. Collected products arebeing dismantled and shreddedin order to reclaim hazardousmaterials like CFC’s but also use-ful materials like ferro and non-ferro metals. The plastic wastefraction was not seen as a usefulstream for a long time and wouldtherefore be incinerated or landfilled.

2. Program on improving theenvironmental impact CE

For the last 5 years an innova-tive research program (IOPHeavy Metals) was carried out toimprove the environmentalimpact of E&E waste in the Neth-erlands. The objective of this pro-gram was to develop an environ-mentally sound recycling processfor plastics from consumer elec-tronics, which cleans the plastics

not only from unwanted additivesbut also upgrades their materialperformance [1]. The researchwas focused in several areasof importance, schematicallyshown in Fig. 2, namely,1) Design of E&E equipment forbetter end-of-life performance,2) Improvement of E&E wastecollection, 3) Improvement oftechnical processes to recycle theE&E waste, and 4) Developmentof an environmental database ofall possible routes for E&E wastetreatment.

3. ResultsThe results of the four sub-stud-ies have shown that the environ-mental impact of the production,use and waste phase for E&Eequipment can be improved.Redesign of the equipment leadsto enormous savings in rawmaterials needed in production.Redesigned E&E equipment alsohas lower energy use during itsuse phase. However, the impactof redesigned E&E equipment onthe waste phase is rather limited.

Recycling of Waste from Electronicand Electrical Equipment in theNetherlandsP.P.A.J. van Schijndel1* and J.M.N. van Kasteren1

1Eindhoven University of Technology, Polymer Technology Department,PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, the Netherlandsp.p.a.j.v.schijndel@tue.nl

Figure 1. Use of plastics for electrical/electronic equipment and consumer elec-tronics produced in Europe (left); Plastic waste production from all electrical/electronic equipment in Europe and plastic waste specifically from consumerelectronic waste, CE (right) [4].

(x10

00 to

nnes

)

(x10

00 to

nnes

)

2500

2000

1500

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500

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Year Year

2005 1995

Total

CE

Total

Total

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1000

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01992

0

4

Another important outcome isthe fact that collection rates ofsmaller E&E equipment have tobe increased since these are eas-ily lost in the ‘normal’ municipalwaste system. For bigger equip-ments like freezers and TV-setscollection in The Netherlands isvery high (over 80%) [2]. Therecycling of E&E waste in orderto recover (precious) metals isquite sufficient in The Nether-lands, however the fractions con-taining plastics were just landfilled or incinerated, which isvery expensive. Studies haveshown that it is possible to im-

prove the separation processessuch that thermoplasts (e.g., PS,ABS, PE, PP) can be separatedfrom the waste streams and con-sequently be used again, and insuch a way keeping their mate-rial value rather than using onlytheir energetic value.

In 2005 the specific plastic wastefractions from Dutch environ-mental stations who shredderfridges and freezers and alsosmall and medium E&E wasteproducts, are being treated andseparated into their differentplastic components in an eco-

nomical feasible fashion. Theseparation techniques haveevolved in such way that plasticfraction containing flame retar-dants can be separated from thenon brominated waste stream,improving the usefulness of plas-tic recyclate.

In certain cases material prop-erties can be upgraded using spe-cific additives, e.g., siloxanes.Research on this issue has beencarried out on ABS materialbecause this is considered tobecome one of the most impor-tant plastic materials in E&Eproducts in the near future. Theoutcome of mechanical impacttests have shown that via mixingof degraded plastic material witha combination of siloxane, stabi-lizer and virgin material, in lowamounts, recyclate plastics canhave the same mechanicalimpact characteristics and there-fore the same usability as virginmaterials. Fig. 3 shows resultsfrom impact strength testson ABS, degraded ABS anddegraded ABS mixed with ther-mal stabilizer (Irganox 2921).Fig. 4 shows results for ABS incombination with reactivediphenyldimethoxysilane, whichare even more promising com-pared to treatment with thermalstabilizers and virgin material.

Research on polyesters, e.g.,printed circuit boards and poly-carbonate, have indicated that aprocess can be developed thatdepolymerises plastics and sepa-rates the feedstock from metalsand additives, using supercriticalCO2. Possible application lies infeedstock recycling of such plas-tics into monomers for the paintindustries based on epoxy resins.It is clear that for any recyclingplant based on this technologythe scale of the facility shouldmatch waste amounts and mar-ket demands.

Figure 2. Life-cycle approach for improving environmental impact of consumerelectronics.

Figure 3. Impact strength of virgin ABS versus thermal degraded ABS and de-graded ABS mixed with stabilizers/virgin ABS

Figure 4. Impact strength of thermal degraded ABS (0wt%) versus degradedABS mixed with 0.5-5 wt% reactive diphenyldimethoxysilane and virgin ABS.

Design withless heavy metals/better separability

Collection ofdiscarded CE

Separationof heavy metals

Reuse / upgradeplastics

Measuring eco efficiency of CE chain

Mining/winning Production Use

Collection/processing

Impa

ct s

tren

gth

(kJ/

m^2

)

29.0

27.0

25.0

23.0

21.0

19.0

17.0

15.0

Virgin ABS

Virgin ABS + 0.5wt%Irganox 2921

Degraded ABS

Degraded ABS +0.5wt% Irganox 2921

Degraded ABS +0.5wt% Irganox 2921 +5wt% Virgin ABS

Impa

ct s

tren

gth

(kg/

m^2

) 35.0

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0

0wt%

0.5wt%

5wt%

Virgin ABS

1wt%

2wt%

5

Overall environmental evalua-tion of E&E production, use andwaste processing has indicatedthat minimum recycling rates interms of minimum mass ratio’sset by the European Commissiondoes not lead to an optimal envi-ronmental solution. A better toolhas been developed which com-bines environmental savings witheconomical savings, which wascalled QWERTY/EE (Quotes forenvironmentally WEightedRecyclabiliTY and Eco-Effi-ciency) [3]. Reclaiming heavymetals and precious metals leadsto the highest environmentalimprovements in the E&E chain.This can be understood from thefact that producing metals fromores create a much larger envi-ronmental burden when com-pared to metal production fromscrap metal material. In the caseof plastic recycling also such adifference is seen between virginmaterial and recyclate but thedifferences are less clear. It isclear, though, that it is easier andmore eco-efficient to recycleplastics from large equipmentcompared to small equipment.Figure 5 reveals this matter.

4. ConclusionsThe outcome of the four researchprojects has lead to new conceptsfor the recycling of plastics fromconsumer electronics [4]. With

this concept it appears possibleto remove unwanted additivesfrom the plastics, like heavy met-als, and upgrade the polymerproperties to virgin qualities. Inthis way resources are saved andemissions of additives to theenvironment are prevented thuscontributing to sustainabledevelopment.

The project has also revealedgeneral improvement options inthe design and waste phase ofconsumer electronics. Environ-mental issues like banning toxicmetals, energy efficiency,minimisation of packaging mate-rials and end-of-life designshould play a much larger rolewhen designing CE equipment asis the case right now. Laws onproducer responsibility can playan important role in this respect.In order to reuse the materialvalue of CE and also to minimisewaste, like heavy metals, diffus-ing into our environment, thecollection of small and mediumequipment should be increased.Waste from large equipmentseems to be much easier tocontrol.

Measuring the eco-efficiency ofthe CE chain has revealed manyinteresting outcomes. Focusingon metal recovery gives themajor improvement in terms of

Figure 5. Environmental gains (savings) versus size of equipment recycled [3]

end-of-life processing of WEEE.Larger equipment should be fullyrecycled, in terms of metals, plas-tics and glass however forsmaller equipment like cellularphones the emphasis should beon metal reclamation and utili-zation of the energy contents ofthe plastic materials. Formedium sized equipment, likemany CE, the route followedshould focus on maximisation ofthe eco-efficiency: i.e., recover allmaterial properties if possibleand in other cases recovering themetals plus the energy value ofthe plastic fraction. TheQWERTY/EE method has shownto be a very useful tool to checkthe eco-efficiency of differentwaste scenarios. Practical stud-ies at Dutch recycling companieshave revealed that in the Dutchsituation the plastic fractionsfrom CE can be separated intothe different plastic fractions forreuse, in an economical, environ-mental and technical feasiblemanner. This would predict thatthe same, full material recyclingof waste from electronic andelectrical equipment, will beachievable in all other EU coun-tries in the coming years.

References[1] Kasteren J.M.N. van, Schijndel,

P.P.A.J. van, Ron A.J. de andStevels A.L.N., Int. J. of Environ-mental Conscious Design & Manu-facturing, 9 (2), 23-30 (2000).

[2] Melissen F., Designing collectionrate enhancing measures for‘small’ consumer electronics, PhDthesis, Eindhoven University ofTechnology, The Netherlands,2003.

[3] Huisman J., The Qwerty/EE con-cept – Quantifying recyclabilityand eco-efficiency for End-of-lifetreatment of consumer electronicproducts, PhD thesis, TU Delft, TheNetherlands, 2003.

[4] Lemmens A.M.C. and SchijndelP.P.A.J. van, IOP heavy metals inconsumer electronics – Integrationof research, IOP publication,SenterNovem The Netherlands (acopy can be requested from theauthors), February 2004.

'Eco-efficiency'

mPts/C=

-300

-250

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

Small sized

Medium sized

Large sized

Weight housings (kg)

0,0 0,5 1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5 3,0 3,5 4,0 4,5 5,0

6

ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENTGovernment of Maharashtra,

15th Floor, New Administrative Building, Madam Kama Road, Mantralaya, Mumbai - 400 032Dated the 13th September, 2005

ORDER

ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986.

DRAFT ORDER

No. Plastic. 2005/CR-38/T.C.III

(i) Every trader (including hawker), shopkeeper, wholesaler or retailer or any other person shalldiscontinue the use of polyethylene (plastic) bags, for packing, handling, storing, carrying orfor any other purpose;

(ii) (a) The Municipal Commissioners of the Municipal Corporations and the Chief Officers of theMunicipal Councils, within their respective areas; and

(b) The Collector of Districts, for areas other than those specified in clause (a) above;shall ensure the compliance of the directions at (i) above.

By order and in the name of the Governor of Maharashtra.

B. P. PANDEY,Principal Secretary to Government

Ban on Plastic Bags

Press MeetsICPE and Plastics Associations of Maharashtra had organised a number of PressMeets in various cities of the State. A Press Note was released during thosePress Meets. Reproduced here is the Press Release.

Press ReleaseMaharashtra Government had issued a DraftOrder on Discontinuation of Plastics bags ref 2005/CR-35T.C.III dated 13th September, 2005. The DraftOrder squarely blames Polyethylene (plastic) bagsas a potential source causing grave injury and dam-

age to the environment and the health of humanbeings and animals. It has put total responsibilityfor blockage of gutters, sewers and drains ofMumbai after the deluge on 26th July, 2005, onPlastic bags.

It is quite difficult to visualize how Plastics can betermed as hazardous to human health or animallife, when Plastics have made significant contribu-tion in the area of medical safety and health care.There is no scientific evidence / medical proof tosuggest or support that Plastic products are injuri-ous to human health. Plastic medical products likedisposable syringes, blister packing of tabletsand capsules, membrane support, sutures, jointreplacement prostheses, IV fluid bags, blood bags,catheters, heart valves and artificial skin have sig-nificantly helped supporting the human life. Medi-cal devices made of Plastics are implanted into thehuman body.

Plastic bags have actually contributed in creatinga sustainable, cost effective, energy efficient,

From l to r – Mr. S. Banerji, Exe. Secretary/Member, Exe.Committee – ICPE; Prof. Dr. Ashok Misra, Director - IIT(Mumbai); Mr. P. P. Kharas, Convenor-Communications,ICPE; Mr. Vijay Merchant, Member, GC-ICPE. On dais: Dr. U.K. Saroop, Member (Tech)-ICPE.

Above are the salient points of the Draft Order. The public was asked to submit any comments within 30 days.

7

hygienic and environmental friendly packagingsystem for edible commodities like milk, spices,edible oil, bread, confectioneries, rice, wheat flour,snack foods, medicines and a host of perishableproducts like fish, meat and poultry products. Thishas been possible due to non-toxic, inert excellentbarrier properties, resistance to moisture and oxy-gen, non-breakability and light weight, sterilizableand resistance to bacterial and other microbial ofplastics. For safe food and pharmaceutical pack-aging, certification has been received from lead-ing Research Institutes of the country. Plasticsconform to all the stringent requirements for safeand hygienic packaging system in contact with foodand pharmaceutical products, hence in no way canbe injurious to human health.

It has been also alleged in the Draft Order that Plas-tics bags and ancillary products are grossly respon-sible for blockage of gutters, sewers and drainsresulting in serious environmental problem.

According to a published report of Municipal Cor-poration of Greater Mumbai in 2001, Plastics con-stitute just 0.75% of the solid waste in Mumbai.Similarly in the report of Central Pollution ControlBoard, MoEF, GoI, typical composition of Plasticsin Municipal Solid Waste on an average wasreported as 0.62%. Some agencies quote the totalplastics in the waste stream of Mumbai as around4-5%. However, all the agencies acknowledge thatproportion of plastics in urban solid waste in Indiais much less than those found in countries in theadvanced world who have managed their MSWmuch better than us without discontinuing the useof Plastic bags.

Various newspapers have also reported of authori-ties in BMC acknowledging inadequate drainagesystem, which has not kept pace with the growthof Mumbai, as one of the main reasons for flood-ing. There are other reasons cited including diver-

sion of Mithi river, encroachments and inadequatecleaning of the drainage systems in many parts ofthe city.

Based on the above facts it can safely be statedthat Plastic bags are not responsible for flooding ofMumbai, since it forms a minor constituent of MSWand there were more significant factors and lapsesthat contributed to this unfortunate calamity.

The discontinuation of Plastic bags will severelyhit the consumer, as Plastic packaging is inevitablefor storing, carrying and delivery of essential com-modities at affordable price.

Milk Packagingis substantiallydependent uponPlastics as 95%of packed milk ispouch packed.Plastic pouchremains as themost cost effec-tive packagingmaterial. Alternative like glass bottle is not viableas glass bottles need 32 times more energy thanthat is needed for plastic pouches. Transportationof milk in glass bottles (weight of 500 ml emptyglass bottle is 430 gms compared to about 2.5 gmsfor empty plastic pouch for the same capacity) willlead to use of excess fuel consumption both forreaching the packed milk to consumer as well asfor collection of empty bottles. The manufactureand reuse of glass bottles will result in high con-sumption of water posing burden on alreadystretched availability of potable water. Besides, useof detergent for bottle cleaning will have a delete-rious effect on environment. Other possible alter-native like tetra pack, which is the composite ofdifferent kinds of materials including aluminiumand 3-4 layers of plastics, is not viable either. Cost

Members of Press. Dr. S. Shivram, Director NCL, Pune & Member, GC-ICPE, isaddressing the Press Meet at Pune.

8

wise this will putheavy burden onconsumer and thepresence of multiplematerials makes itdifficult to recycle,resulting in thehigher burden onlandfills because ofdumping.

Dropsy deaths inDelhi and other parts of the country prompted theGovernment of India to formulate rules for unitpackaging of edible oil. Government of Maharashtradecided vide notification No. PFA/Edible oil/14/05/7 dated 03/03/05 to implement the edible oilpackaging regulatory order published in 1998 bythe Central Government. Plastics pouches haveproven to be most efficient and cost-effective solu-tion to provide unadulterated oil to the consumer.Discontinuation of plastics packaging will bring itunder serious threat and the society will be exposedto the adulterated loose oil.

Plastic bags play animportant role in pack-aging of bread, confec-tionery items, all rangeof Farsan / Namkeenand bakery products.All these products arevery sensitive to mois-ture and lose taste andquality within no time.

Hygroscopic edible products like sugar, salt, jaggeryand many other food items susceptible to moisturecannot be effectively packed in alternative materi-als without sacrificing the quality or cost of pack-aging. Think of carrying fish, meat, poultry andother wet food products in alternative packagingmaterials. Plastic bags very well handle their wet-ness. Plastic bags play a key role in handlinggarbage collec-tion and disposal.Plastic bags offerthe ideal han-dling system fordomestic waste.In fact there is nobetter way of col-lecting wet /kitchen garbage.

In case Plastic bags/packaging is replaced withalternative materials like paper, cloth, jute, metal,etc., it would lead to a major penalty on the envi-ronment as weight of packaging would go up by3 times and cost of the packaging and volume of

waste will almost double. Hence, these cannot beeco-viable alternatives. Besides, paper is not eco-friendly at all. Manufacturing of paper and paperproducts consumes a lot of chemicals, requires alarge amount of water and effluent problems aresevere. Besides, paper unless coated with polymericmaterials, cannot withstand wet conditions. Suchwet spells are widely prevalent in Maharashtra andMumbai, in particular, during monsoon periods.Production of paper will cause higher energy andpulp demand resulting in mass scale forest destruc-tion. Packaging food product by reusing the printedpaper leads to food coming into contact with toxicink.

Versatility of Plastics allows designing the productwith less material. It becomes more relevant in caseof packaging systems when compared to the tradi-tional alternatives. Reuse provides another signifi-cant way to conserve resources. Most importantproperty of plastics is easy Recyclability, specifi-cally in our country where the industry and theconsumers are cost conscious, this has beenextremely effective. Energy Recovery is yet anotherimportant way to conserve resources to recover theenergy value of products after their useful life hasended.

Mr. Harpal Singh, President, AIPMA, addressing a PressMeet in Mumbai. Mr. Ajay Desai and Mr. Arvind Mehtaare seated to his right & left respectively.

9

Discontinuation of use of Plastic bags inMaharashtra will have serious economic implica-tions. More than 1000 factories across the State ofMaharashtra manufacturing Plastic bags with aturnover of Rs. 1000 crores generating Rs. 246crores of tax revenue provide direct and indirectemployment to more than 2.5 lakh people. Anintended ban will lead to total unemployment ofall those workers and also loss of revenue. 730 tinyand cottage scale units operating in Maharashtrainvolved in recycling of plastic wastes will bedirectly affected. There are over one-lakh rag pick-ers in the State of Maharashtra who collect wasteplastic bags for recyclers. In Mumbai alone thenumber of rag pickers would exceed 35,000.Livelyhood of this poor section of people would bein jeopardy in the absence of plastic wastes thatcurrently form the prime source of their income.These rag pickers belong to the poorest sectionof the society and the ban may create a socialproblem.

Mumbai is a major port for export of productspacked in the plastics bags. We have an apprehen-sion that under the garb of proposed order, enforce-ment department may harass the exporters andthereby affecting the export potential of the coun-try. The Draft Order is not clear about the trans-portation of goods from other States to the State ofMaharashtra. This can also affect interstate move-ment of goods and people, as the discontinuationof Plastic bags relates with Maharashtra only. Thiscan lead to harassment to the incoming people,from the local authorities.

Plastics Industry and Indian Centre for Plastics inthe Environment, as responsible members of thesociety, have continuously engaged themselves indeveloping techniques to recycle all these wastesinto value added or non-critical materials of use.

Plastics Industry understands its responsibility andhas joined hands with the local civic authorities inmanaging not only Plastic wastes but also all drysolid wastes. A Scientist in a Nagpur-based collegehas developed a process for continuous productionof Industrial Fuel out of any thermoplastic waste.Plastics Industry is closely working with the inven-tor to enhance the process and to add further valueto Plastic wastes. The Road Department of MCGMhas already conducted successful trails for utiliz-ing Plastics Waste in the construction of asphaltroad in the main city – Mumbai.

Discontinuation of Plastic bags is no solution andwill rather multiply the problem many fold. This

will add to the woes of common man. The chal-lenge facing us is to improve the solid waste man-agement system and address littering habits ofmasses by educating them and creating awareness.Industry is committed to work together and shareresponsibility for these efforts.

Strict implementation of existing law by restrict-ing manufacture, storage, sale and usage of Plas-tics carry bags as per MoEF Gazette Notificationissued in 1999 and revised during 2003 is the needof the hour. Introduce printing of manufacturer’sname in all individual carry bags, with proper dec-laration of thickness and recycling mark.

Industry would be willing to arrange for buy backof used plastics material including carry bags if aproper scheme can be indicated by Government/BMC, etc. Government/BMC need to provide spaceat suitable places for such collection.

In order to encourage scientific recycling of Plas-tics products particularly carry bags, Industrywould help set up recycling plants complying withall environmental standards at a desirable place.State Government in cooperation with BMC mayprovide land, supply power at reasonable rates.Industry would join hands with local authorities intaking up appropriate awareness drive among thecitizens for proper solid waste management.

After receiving the objections/suggestions fromthe Industry Associations and general public,the Government of Maharashtra has constituteda Committee to look into the matter and makerecommendations to the Government.

Nagpur Factory which manufactures Fuel from PlasticsWaste.

10

PFFCA STAR Awards 2005Awards for Excellence in Design, Development and Creativity

Paper, Film & Foil Converters Association organized PFFCA STAR Awards 2005function at Hotel Orchid, Mumbai on 24th November, 2005. Mr. Jagdeep Kapoorof Samsika Marketing presented the awards.

The Plastindia Foundation hasinstituted the Plasticon Awards topromote and encourage Innovationand Excellence in all segments of thePlastics Industry.

The Awards germinate from aperceived need to honour and rec-ognize excellence of Organizations,Individuals, Companies and Institu-tions – actively involved in researchand development of plastics and related productsand honour their path-breaking contribution tothe overall development of the Indian Plasticsindustry.

The Awards were presented at a function held inMumbai on 1st October, 2005.

Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment(ICPE) has sponsored an Award for Innovation inRecycling Technology.

The winner of the Award was Centre of Environ-ment Education, New Delhi, for their pioneeringefforts in developing recycling technology for pro-

ducing commercially valuable products and dedi-cated promotional activity in rural India.

Doll Plast Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad,received the Runner-up award for development ofefficient and cost-effective machinery separatingplastics and paper from laminates in an energyefficient manner.

Prof. Dr. Ashok Misra, Director, IIT (Mumbai), presentingthe Award to Mr. Karthikeya Vikram Sarabhai, Director, CEE,New Delhi. To the extreme right is Mr. K. G. Ramanathan,President, GC, ICPE. Mr. Subhash Kadakia, Plastindia Foun-dation, is at the extreme left.

11

The production of plastics andarticles produced from them isexpanding systematically sincethey are cheap, lucrative, lightweight, coloured, durable andconsumes less energy for produc-tion. But simultaneously theamount of waste is increasingbecause the majority of conven-tional plastics are resistant to thelong-lasting action of weatherand/or drastic biological condi-tions and not degradable. Bothrecycling and combustion areprocesses, which permit only apartial solution of the above men-tioned problems. In the recentyears, intensive investigationsinto biodegradable polymershave been undertaken. It seemsthat one polymer which maymeet our requirements andreplace the majority of popularplastics on market is poly lacticacid (PLA).

Municipal Solid Wastes (MSWs),including food waste, are usuallyincinerated or landfilled, butthese processes generate manyunnecessary problems. Incinera-tion facilities can be damaged bytemperature fluctuations whenfood waste with high watercontent is burnt in a semi-con-

tinuous process. In addition, it isdifficult to recover energy fromsuch waste incineration pro-cesses because the heating valueof food waste is low. Further,landfill space is very limited, anduncontrolled fermentation oforganic wastes in landfills causessecondary problems, such asmethane emissions.

Treatment of biological solidwaste via microbiological pro-cesses improves these wastesand reduces the need for bothlandfill space and fuel used inwaste incineration. Directcomposting and methane fer-mentation, which produce fertili-ties and biogas, are the alterna-tive ways to reuse food waste, but

these processes have beenapplied only in rural areas.On the other hand, there iseconomical ways and meansfor converting solid wasteinto natural Lactic acidfrom which biodegradablepolylactic acid can be manu-factured.

Lactic acid has both hydroxyl andcarboxyl groups with one chiralcarbon atom, and are widelyused in food, pharmaceutical,and in general, chemical indus-tries. In addition, Lactic acid canbe polymerized to produce thebiodegradable and recyclablepolyester polylactic acid (PLA)which is considered a potentialsubstitute for plastics manufac-tured from petrochemicals.Although the ester bond of poly-L-Lactate (PLLA) is susceptible tosome enzyme, including protein-ase and lipases, and PLLA hasbeen recognized as a biodegrad-able plastic, its biodegradation insoil is rather slow and dependson morphology and thickness.Therefore, PLLA may better bedeveloped as a chemically recy-clable plastic with an appropri-ate collection system for the usedmaterials and not as a single-useplastic. Recently the productionof PLLA from cornstarch hasbeen taken up in the industrialscale by Cargill-Dow and manyother companies in the world.Such materials are expected tocome into worldwide use, butPLLA and other-plant derivedplastics are costly, thus prevent-ing their widespread application.In addition, the process uses cornstarch feedstock, which is also asource of food for human andother animals.

Figure - 1 shows schematic dia-gram for the production of Lac-tic acid from municipal solidwaste.

A Novel Method for the Productionof Biodegradable Polylactic Acid(PLA) from Municipal Food Waste

Prof. P. L. NayakPh.D., D.Sc.Biodegradable Polymer Research LaboratoryDepartment of Chemistry, Ravenshaw College, Cuttack-753003, Orissa

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Figure – 1 shows the four steps, which are required to produce PLLA from food waste and the balance of materialsobtained. The four steps consist of (1) removal of endogenous D,L-lactic acids from minced collected food waste by apropionibacterium, (2) L-lactic acid fermentation under semisolid conditions, (3) purification of Lactic acid by esterification,and (4) polymerization of Lactic acid via Lactide ring opening polymerization.

carbohydrates including rice,bread and noodles. The collectedfood waste also contains onaverage 1.6g/kg wet waste ofendogenous D- and L-Lactic acid,produced by native Lactic acidbacteria during transfer andstorage of the waste. The pres-ence of D-Lactic acid decreasesthe optical activity of accumu-lated Lactic acid and decreasedPLLA crystallinity.

Removal of EndogenousD(L)-Lactic Acid byPropionibacteriumIt is known that P.freudenreichiipreferentially consumes D- and

L-Lactic acids before sugars as acarbon source under the acidicconditions. Lactic acid in therefuse paste will be quicklydegraded and diminished within10 hours at pH 6.5, whereas glu-cose began to decrease after sev-eral hours of lag and will be thenconsumed gradually. This wasobserved more clearly at pH 5.5.The microorganisms assimilateonly Lactic acid, and most of theglucose remained after 24 hr.The characteristics of opticallyinactive Lactic acid, with littleeffect on the amount of sugaravailability for subsequent L-Lac-tic acid fermentation.

Composition of Food WasteThe food materials collectedfrom different hotels, restaurantsand other fast food places wereanalyzed. They contain approxi-mately 35% of vegetable, 23% offish and meat, and 42% of cooked

Fig. 1: Out line of the process for PLLA manufacture from food waste.

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L-Lactic Acid FermentationUnder Semisolid ConditionsAfter the optically inactiveLactic acid was consumed,polysachharides includingstarch were solubilized byglucoamylase, L-rhamnous,which is an L-forminghomofermentative strain, wasthen inoculated into the treatedrefuse paste. Nutrient-rich foodwaste appears to be a superiorgrowth medium for fastidiouslactic acid bacteria that generallyrequire a variety of nutritionalelements. The amount of wateradded was minimized to reduceenergy input for its distillationfrom the fermented broth; anequal proportion of water torefuse was sufficient to yield thehighest productivity of L-Lacticacid. The concentration of totalsugar after solubilization aver-aged 74 g/l, meaning thatthe estimated concentrationof carbohydrate in the foodwaste available for Lactic acidfermentation was estimated to be143 g/kg wet water.

Solubilized sugars including glu-cose seemed to be involved in theLactic acid fermentation becauseover 82% of the total was con-verted to L-Lactic acid (an aver-age of over 61 g/1) with anaverage optical purity of over

98%. The amount of accumu-lated L-Lactic acid was depen-dent on the C/N ratio such as ex-tracted tea residue or fish resi-dues, yielded rather less L-Lac-tic acid. Although the amount ofaccumulated L-Lactic acid varieddepending upon the source of thefood waste, an average Lacticacid yield of more than 10% pertotal weight of refuse was con-firmed by semisolid, two-step fer-mentation method.

Purification of L-Lactic AcidThe filtered and concentratedbroth containing approximately35% L-Lactic acid was esterifiedwith n-butanol at 150°C to 160°Cand distilled in the form of butylLactate (130°C, 98% yield), whichwas then hydrolyzed between95°C and 110°C. Soluble proteinsand salts were precipitated withn-butanol. Esters, such as thoseof acetic acid and propionic acid,were separated during this partof the process. The optical purityof Lactic acid did not change dur-ing these purification steps.Ammonia stripped at the esteri-fication step was reused toadjust the culture pH at the fer-mentation step. Condensedwater and n-butanol wererecycled for subsequent esterifi-cation. The purification of Lacticacid by butyl esterification is

advantageous in that a wastewa-ter treatment process is notrequired.

Synthesis of poly (L (+) L-LacticAcid) (PLA)Lactic acid polymer, i.e.,polylactic acid consists mainlythe Lactide units as the monomerand comprises one streoisoformcombinations of D- and L-Lactidein various ratio. A disadvantageof polycondensation is that a lowmolar mass polymer is obtained.There have been studies toobtain high molar mass polymerby manipulating the equilibriumbetween Lactic acid, water andpolylactic acid in an organicsolvent or multifunctionalbranching agent was used to givestar-shaped polymers. In thepresence of bifunctional agents(dipoles and diacids) they formtelechelic polymers, which canbe further linked to give highmolar mass polymers using link-ing agents like diisocyanate.

Lactic acid polymers by ring-opening polymerizationThe ring opening polymerizationroute includes polycondensationof Lactic acid followed by a de-polymerization into the dehy-drated cyclic dimmer, Lactidewhich can be ring opening poly-merized to high molar mas poly-mers. The depolymerization isconventionally done by increas-ing the polycondensation tem-perature and lowering the pres-sure, and distilling off the pro-duced Lactide. Solution polymer-ization, bulk polymerization,melt polymerization and suspen-sion polymerization are the vari-ous methods of ring opening po-lymerization. The polymerizationmechanism could be cationic,anionic, coordination or freeradical polymerization. It is cata-lyzed by compounds of transitionmetals – tin, aluminium, lead,zinc, bismuth, iron, and yattrium.

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Other ring formed monomers canalso be incorporated into the Lac-tic acid, acid based polymer byring opening copolymerization.The most utilized comonomersare glycolide, caprolactone,valerolactone, dioxypenone andtrimethyl carbonate. The advan-tage of ring opening polymeriza-tion is that the chemistry of thereaction can be accurately con-trolled thus varying the proper-ties of the resultant polymer in amore controlled manner. Thewhole process is depicted inFig.2.

The USA based giant agro-basedcompany Cargill - Dow is build-ing a sustainable material andchemicals starting withpolylactide polymers (PLA). Theintroduction of PLA into the mar-ketplace is based on the perfor-mance, price and sustainabilityprofile of the material. Cargill -Dow has increased its manufac-turing capacity for polyactide(PLA) polymer from 4,000 tonsper year to 140,000 metric tonsper year with the completion ofits Blair, Nebraska polylactidemanufacturing facility. The facil-ity was started up in November2001, was producing prime ma-terial since December 2001 andgone through a complete prod-uct cycle during February 2002.

Commercially, Cargill - Dow hasfocused on applications in fibersand packaging materials. A fiberapplication with strong supportin the marketplace, for example,pillow and comfort fiberfill prod-ucts marketed under the NatureBalance line at bed, bath andbeyond. A packaging applicationis the produce trays utilized bythe grocery chain IPER in Italy.For polylactide to reach its fullpotential in the marketplaceCargill - Dow has contributed toreduce the price of productionand improve the sustainability of

the business system for produc-ing polyactide. Cargill - Dow be-lieves that sustainable produc-tion of PLA will require a newagricultural business andimprovement to renewableenergy sources. Surprisinglymany of the renewable energysources are close to economicalimplementation particularly, bio-mass hydrolysis and wind energy.

In conclusion, the innovativepractical process described herecan produce high-quality PLLAfrom food waste. The stem isdesigned as a total materialrecycling process for municipal

Figure – 2

Manufacture of PLA

PLA

Two routes:

1. Direct Condensation - solvents under high vacuum2. Formation of cyclic dimer intermediate (lactide) - No solvent

H

H H HnO

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

CH3 CH3

Lactic Acid

Lactide

poly(3,6-dimethyl-1,4-dioxan-2,5-dione)H2O

H2O

H3C

C3H

O

O O O

O

O

O

OO

O

O

O

O

O

HO

H CH3

CH3 CH3 CH3

OH OH

L-Lactic Acid

L-Lactide

H3C H3C

H3C

H3C

Meso-Lactide

D-Lactic Acid

D-Lactide

HO

H

Lactide Intermediates from Lactic Acid

food waste, with minimal envi-ronmental emissions and energysavings. It has also the potentialto produce from MSW a valuable,renewable product that can sub-stitute for currently producednon-renewable, petrochemicalpolymers. This system would alsobe applicable to the productionof PLLA from other wastestreams that contain fermentablesugars with high proportion ofwater, such as agriculturalwastes. This is really a challeng-ing field of research andinnovation with unlimited futureprospects.

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Solid Waste Management atSanjay Gandhi NationalPark, Borivali, Mumbai

It was observed that this particu-lar area of national importancewas being subjected to litteringof all sorts of dry waste both bythe visitors as well as others.

ICPE took up the initiative tocreate an awareness and toinstal a Solid Waste ManagementSystem inside the park so that thesanctity of the area could bemaintained.

The system comprised of collec-tion – segregation – disposal/recycling of waste and alsocomposting of food waste/organicwaste.

The work is continuing.

SGNP – Before Cleaning

SGNP – After Cleaning

Waste-by-Rail System

Since the late 1980’s, theSanitation Districts of LosAngeles County, in conjunctionwith other public agencies, havebeen studying means to addressthe projected shortfall in localsolid waste disposal capacity.Currently, nearly all refuse in LosAngeles County is transported todisposal sites in the metropolitanarea by truck. However, as publicopposition to siting new orexpanding existing disposalfacilities near urban areas hasgrown, sites farther from the LosAngeles Basin have become moredesirable, despite the transportcosts associated with longertransport distances. For some

sites, such as the MesquiteRegional Landfill in ImperialCounty, rail transport is anefficient means to transportrefuse to remote disposal sites.Transitioning to remote disposalof refuse that involves railtransport requires that newinfrastructure be developed. Thisconcept of rail transport ofrefuse, which includes anintegrated system of local andremote infrastructure, is called“Waste-by-Rail.”

Regional SystemThe Sanitation Districts havetaken the lead role inimplementing the Waste-by-Rail

System, a remote disposalprogram for Los Angeles County.The Waste-by-Rail System willprovide long term disposalcapacity to replace local landfillsas they reach capacity and close.The starting point of the Waste-by-Rail System will be materialsrecovery facilities (MRFs) ortransfer stations locatedthroughout Los Angeles County.Residual waste from the MRFs ortransfer stations will betransported via rail to remotelandfills for disposal.

(Source: http://www.lacsd.org)

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Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environmentwww.icpenviro.org • www.envis-icpe.com