Waste Plastics: Reduction, Control, and Prevention of Soil Pollution

Plastic consumption has increased by around 180 times from 1950 to 2018, as reported in the Journal of Cleaner Materials. Plastic usage has increased in recent decades because of cheap manufacturing costs, resulting in the creation of approximately <11,000 tons of plastic in Indian states. It is risky for us to remove plastics from the entire soil because they hinder plant growth. Floccinaucinihilipilification if no one takes charge of this issue. So, it is critical to limit plastic consumption. Plastics are harmful; various types of plastics are available on the market, including PP, PVC, HDPE, LDPE, etc. On the other hand, Tritan plastics are useful because they are BPA-free.  Penskydialomospheres (good hopes in better format) are a powerful source for all of us. It is very urgent and needful for us. Properties such as high glas transition temperature and high melting temperature indicate their ability to maintain shape and strength at elevated temperatures. Currently, the conversion of this plastics form utilization to waste has becomes a worst for out environment. The generation of plastic waste in the world increased gradually due to the three main points are the ability of plastics to replace traditional materials such as ceramic, wood and glass, the easy access to consumer usage.   

One of the creative projects launched by Kachra Cafe is the conversion of garbage into useful items. Waste material provides several benefits due to its mass or density. The procedure is simple and effective. If you have a lot of rubbish, such as plastics, e-waste, or other types of waste, it can be turned into delicious meals or utilised to earn significant points. I also take it from them. Those points can also be redeemed for clothing, showcase goods, and paper-based utensils at their stores (in Bhopal).

Picture: Best out of Waste (Paper-Based Utensils) captured from Bhopal's Kachra Cafe.  

Effective management of waste plastics requires efficient collection, sorting, and recycling methods. Effective waste management infrastructure prevents plastics from polluting the soil through open dumping or landfill contamination. In agricultural fields, the regulated application and proper removal of plastic mulches are crucial to avoiding soil pollution.

Mitigation of soil pollution necessitates comprehensive, sustained strategies. Policies such as extended producer responsibility (EPR), plastic prohibitions, and soil conservation measures mitigate plastic pollution. Consistent surveillance of microplastics in soil, advancement of sustainable materials, and encouragement of circular economy practices are essential preventive strategies.

Here’s a state-wise breakdown of plastic waste generated (as collated from government statements and data summaries):

The management of this waste is governed by the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, which emphasize Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Recyclable vs. Non-Recyclable: Approximately 60% of India's plastic waste is recycled, largely through the informal sector. The remaining 40% often ends up in landfills or as environmental litter.

Single-Use Plastics (SUP): A significant portion of the waste stream consists of SUPs, which were subject to a national ban starting July 2022 to mitigate long-term ecological damage.

Energy Recovery: Non-recyclable plastics (RIC 3, 6, and 7) are increasingly diverted to Cement Kilns for co-processing or used in road construction to improve the bitumen binder properties.

Exploring Textile Effluent treatment Techniques to make Water drinkable

The Indian textile industry plays a vital role in the supply chain and marketing of garments and diverse handloom products, thereby strengthening India's commercial position in the global market. The exceptional performance of textiles in the regions of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab in terms of woollen production facilities. According to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), 23.6% of the textile sector in Gujarat exhibits high levels of production. 

 

 

Textile industries generate a large volume of complex effluents during the processing of clothes, and before discharging, which is a high organic and inorganic effluent load on the environment. Azo, Benzo, Cationic, Xanthene, a group of dyes that are effective in our humanity and the abiotic life cycle. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) survey, 92 million tons of effluent were generated in FY23-24. This wastewater often shows high TDS, salinity, alkalinity, and electrical conductivity, primarily originating from salt-intensive dyeing processes. Additionally, textile wastewater contains heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn), formaldehyde-based resins, and chlorinated compounds, posing ecotoxicological and human health risks. Some of the most carcinogenic groups of dyes are the reactive dyes, which are harmful and highly soluble in water molecules, for example, RB21 (Reactive Turquoise Blue 21) dye. The general molecule's formula is C₄₀H₂₅CuN₉O₁₄S₅, represents a copper phthalocyanine reactive dye with multiple functional groups (nitrogen heterocycles, sulfonic groups) around a central Cu atom. Typically contains reactive vinyl sulfonyl (–SO₂–CH=CH₂) or sulfatoethylsulphonyl groups that can form covalent bonds with hydroxyl (–OH) groups of cellulose fibres during the dying process. One of the most advanced research studies was successfully published in a reputed journal, which one is the advance solutions to degrade this carcinogenic pollutant by using the AOPs (Advance Oxidation Processes) technique. 

Catalyst is the altering the rate of the reaction. One of the most susceptible, highly active, emerging, and advanced materials in the presence of visible light also enhances COD, BOD, and DO rates to make water drinkable. Recent breakthroughs to mineralise faster RB21 with the combination of materials with hybrid techniques like Photocatalyst+Ultrasonication, UV+Ozonation,  Corona Discharge Plasma with Fe2+ addition,n etc. 

    

Method	Approx. RB21 Removal	Notes
Corona plasma + Fe²⁺	~100% color removed, ~83 % COD ↓	Advanced oxidation
Photo‑ozonation	~99 %	Very short reaction times
SmFeO₃‑rGO + ultrasound	High degradation (faster)	Effective on the actual effluent
Fly ash adsorption	Moderate capacity (~105 mg g⁻¹)	Very low cost
Photocatalysis with MgFe2O4	93 %  removal rate	AOP, low cost

Figure 1: Advance Oxidation Process (AOPs) Techniques performance over RB21 dye degradation (Predictive analysis) (a) Various AOPs Utilised for RB21 dye (b) Concentration variation over RB21 with Vis. + H2O2

Figure 1 assumes a RB21 dye concentration of 25 ppm, utilising AOPs techniques, including ozonation, photocatalysis, photo-Fenton, and UV and Vis light irradiation with H₂O₂ as an oxidant to break the interaction between the dye and H₂O molecules. 

Azo bond is extremely ozone-sensitive -N=N- bond undergoes rapid cleavage, R-N=N-R + Ozone to form aromatic amines with smaller fragments. When using ozonation, one ozone molecule can break chromophoric structure, leading to rapid decolourisation, but at high concentrations of RB21,

Ozone ​+ OH− → •OH + O2​

$$•OH + \text{RB21} \rightarrow \text{fragmented intermediates}$$

$$\text{Why its happening, ozonation destroys chromophores first, and some aromatic fragments remain due to not destroyed completely, like sulfonated benzene/naphthalene derivatives. It becomes colourless but lack of degradation onto benzene rings. Why aromatic fragments are hard to remove becausethey have resonance stability and can react with ozone slowly in the presence of hydroxyl radicals. }$$

$$\text{Figure (a) compares the degradation performance of Reactive Blue 21 (RB21) dye utilizing various advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) across reaction time. All processes demonstrate a time-dependent rise in degradation efficiency, indicating continual reactive oxygen species formation. Initial degradation is modest due to negligible radical formation. UV/H₂O₂ and visible light/H₂O₂ systems outperform ozonation, photocatalysis, and photo-Fenton reactions in degradation efficiency as irradiation time increases. Superior performance of peroxide-assisted systems is due to increased photolysis of H₂O₂, resulting in numerous hydroxyl radicals (•OH) with strong non-selective oxidation capability. The photo-Fenton process degrades effectively by Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox cycling under light, while photocatalysis and ozonation have reduced efficiency due to electron-hole recombination and restricted oxidant use. The study shows that light-assisted H₂O₂-based AOPs effectively degrade RB21.}$$

$$\text{Figure (b) shows how initial RB21 concentration impacts degradation efficiency during visible light/H₂O₂ treatment at various irradiation periods. Increased dye concentration decreases degradation efficiency, suggesting faster degradation kinetics at lower initial concentrations. Low dye concentrations (10–25 ppm) increase efficiency due to better light penetration and more hydroxyl radicals per dye molecule. In contrast, greater concentrations (75–100 ppm) impair efficiency due to the inner filter effect, increased solution opacity, and extra dye molecules and intermediate degradation products competing for hydroxyl radicals. However, continuous irradiation boosts deterioration at all concentrations, proving the durability of the visible light/H₂O₂ combination. These findings show that initial dye concentration controls reaction kinetics and AOP efficiency.}$$

$$\text{ In the figure, sets for the degradation of the pollutants with various techniques for the effluent treatment. The first graph shows the results based on the different concentration 10, 20, and 30 ppm over the US (Ultrasound) in the presence of UV light, with PDS and a certain amount of catalyst dosage were estimated. That graph shows that the highest degradation range is at 10 ppm, while 30 ppm shows the results are much lower due to the increase in the concentration of effluent. }$$