课程名称 Course Title
Sustainable Polymers
"Modern life relies on polymers, which are widely used from daily items to high-tech components. While most polymers help improve the quality of our life (for example, polymer membranes for water purification, masks for protection, etc.), their existence after usage has led to serious environmental concerns. Therefore, we must develop innovative solutions to address the negative issues of polymers to make them more sustainable. Several following sub-topics that make polymers more sustainable will be covered:
1. Polymers from bio-resources
2. Degradable/compostable polymers
3. Polymer recycling and upcycling (via both engineering and synthetic approaches)
4. Isolate and removal of microplastics"
课程大纲 Course Outline
"1. Introduction
a. History and status of plastics in our daily life: significance and huge amount
b. Where do plastics come from and go when it is thrown away
c. The huge challenges we are facing now
d. Solutions: Regulations/policies vs. technology/innovations
2. Solution from upstream (source and new polymer design/development/invention-leading to compostability/degradability)
a. Sources
b. Compostability/degradability: Promote current degradable/compostable ones and develop new ones
c. Designing new recyclable polymers (including thermoplastics and thermosets, such as reversible crosslinking)-can be depolymerized and re-polymerized
3. Solution from downstream (disposal/degradation/recycle/remediation)
a. Improve recycle
b. Repurposing and hopefully achieve upcycling
c. Micro-plastics
4. Outlook
a. Life cycle assessment
b. Policy and regulation: minimize use if possible, minimize single-use ones
c. Technology: new polymers, upcycle
d. This is a call to action for us as individuals to use our creativity, voice, vote, and dollar drive changes
e. How should plastics shape our future?
"
