• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.138-148
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• 2003

In the study, current status of waste plastic recycling was investigated. Some factors to obstruct recycling of waste plastic was analyzed. These factors include the difficulty of obtaining location and man power, unclear marking of recyclable plastic and inefficient rate in producer and consumer deposit system. Life cycle assessment(LCA) study was performed to investigate the environmental impact of waste plastic(PET) recycling. When the recycled raw plastic material is used together with the virgin raw plastic material, all the environmental impact showed (-) value except ozone depletion impact category. The environmental avoided impact was the greatest in the global warming impact category. For active promotion of recycling activity, source separation system of waste plastic should be established first of all. Also, marking system of the recycling waste plastic should be made more clear so that consumers can understand it easily. Other strategies include the determination of decent rate for producer and consumer deposit system, establishment of infrastructure and information system for waste plastic recycling and citizen's cooperation through intensive public education.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.115-128
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• 2024

Concrete is the most significant material in the construction industry which is required to construct several facilities like roads, buildings, and bridges etc. which leads to the economic development of a country. But now days, in view of sustainable development and environmental problems, plastic waste management is one of the major environmental issues due to its non-biodegradable nature which allows it to stay in the landfills until they are cleaned up. To overcome all these concerns, plastic waste may be used as a substitute of natural fine and coarse aggregate in concrete and a valuable solution to utilize the plastic items which causes several problems. In order to, present study is focused on the affecting properties of concrete as workability, compressive strength, and tensile strength of concrete with using plastic waste and without using plastic waste. Based on the detailed literature, it was observed that the plastic waste is not affecting the quality and consistency of concrete. However, as the number of PVC particles in the mixture increased, the drying shrinkage values decreased and the inclusion of plastic flakes can mitigate drying shrinkage cracking which leads the higher durability of concrete. Based on the comprehensive literature, it was also observed that the plastic aggregate found to be suitable for low and medium strength concrete. However, the investigation on the application of plastic aggregate in the high strength concrete is found limited. It was concluded that the optimum percentage of the plastic aggregate was found about 20%.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.35-45
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• 2023

Purpose: This paper (1) identifies the factors that affect people's changing habits towards waste sorting, (2) evaluates the benefits of waste sorting to the environment and (3) designs communication strategies to change people's behavior and habits in sorting plastic waste in Ho Chi Mnh City, Vietnam. Research design, data and methodology: Using the data from 309 people that are living in Ho Chi Minh City and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to evaluate variables and test the hypotheses. Results: Research results show that attitudes, subjective standards, behavioral control, and facilities affect people's intention to classify plastic waste. We find that environmental concerns greatly influence people's attitudes. In contrast, environmental concerns have a relatively weaker effect on people's degree of behavioral control. Conclusion: Environmental protection is a matter of concern in the world. In Vietnam, this issue has been institutionalized into law to create a basis for improving the effectiveness of environmental protection activities. This article has some limitations. Firstly, sample is limited to HCMC residents; the study results are not representative of the entire population of Vietnam. This paper is based on cross-sectional data, which is not the best way to establish a causal relationship between the intention to sort plastic waste and its drivers.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.E
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• pp.13-21
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• 1995

This Pilot study identifies potential dioxin and furan sources and medical plastic wastes produced from hospital solid waste streams. In this study, air emissions of dioxins and furans from sources in the U.S., which were estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), were summarized. Potential loading routes of dioxins and furans to the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes region have also been identified in trcent surveys. In addition, medical and hospital solid wastes produced in typical large city hospitals were characterized as important potential sources of dioxins and furans. Plastic contents in medical Plastics Characterization Survey (MMPCS), plastics composition data were obtained from a survey of five Massachusetts Hospitals and Medical Centers. By identifying plastic wastes as a percentage of total hospital wastes, we were able to use data from a preliminary study that analyzed the waste stream of 16 major New York City hospitals (NYCMWS) characterizing the plastic content of the wasters. This study determined the types of plastic wastes included in each medical waste stream (regulated medical waste or non regulated medical waste) and it discussed the potential for recyclibility of hospital plastic wastes. The combination of the NYCMWS and the MMPCS surveys provides for the first overview of the size of the recycling task of hospital plastic wastes and the potential of dioxin elimination if dioxin generating plastics were to be eliminated from hospital use.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.479-489
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• 2020

Studies have proved that the mechanical properties of concrete, suddenly is dropped off with employing waste materials as replacements. The effectiveness of fibre addition on the structural stability of concrete has been indicated in recent investigations. There are different waste aggregates and fibres as plastic, rubber tire, coconut, and other natural wastes, which have been evaluated throughout the last decades. The fibres incorporation has a substantial effect on the properties of concrete mix subjected to different loading scenarios. This paper has reviewed different types of wastes and the effect of typical fibres including Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET), rubber tire, and waste glass. Furthermore, waste plastic and waste rubber has been especially studied in this review. Although concretes containing PET fibre revealed a reduction in compressive strength at low fibre fractions, using PET is resulted to micro-cracking decrement and increasing flexibility and flexural strength. Finally, according to the reviews, the conventional waste fibres are well-suited to mitigated time-induced damages of concrete and waste fibres and aggregates could be a reliable replacement for concrete.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.173-182
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• 2017

This paper is aimed at determining the shear and impact strength of waste plastic fibre reinforced concrete. M30 grade of concrete is prepared with waste plastic door fibres cut into 5 mm width and aspect ratios of 30, 50, 70, 90 and 110. Fibres are used in a volume fraction of 0 to 1.5% with an increment of 0.25%. L shaped specimens are cast for shear strength tests and flat plates of size $250{\times}250{\times}30mm$ are used for impact tests. "Drop ball method" is used for checking the impact strength. Shear strength is checked with L shaped specimens under UTM with a special attachment. It was found that up to 1.25% of waste plastic fibres can be effectively used for better strength of concrete both in shear and impact. Shear and impact strength were found to be increasing up to a volume fraction of fibres of 1.25%.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.22-33
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• 2023

The number of fire and explosion accidents caused by pyrolysis oil and gas at waste plastic pyrolysis plants is increasing, but accident status and safety conditions have not been clearly identified. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the risks of the waste plastic pyrolysis process and suggest appropriate safety management measures. We collected information on 19 cases of fire and explosion accidents that occurred between 2010 and 2021 at 26 waste plastic pyrolysis plants using the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) database and media reports. The mechanical, managerial, personnel-related, and environmental problems within a plant and problems related to government agencies and the design, manufacturing, and installation companies involved with pyrolysis equipment were analyzed using the 4Ms of Machines, Management, Man, and Media, as well as the System-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) methodology for seven accident cases with accident investigation reports. Study findings indicate the need for establishing legal and institutional support measures for waste plastic pyrolysis plants in order to prevent fire and explosion accidents in the pyrolysis process. In addition, ensuring safety from the design and manufacturing stages of facilities is essential, as are measures that ensure systematic operations after the installation of safety devices.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.74-84
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• 2024

Background: Despite many environmental problems, plastic waste emissions have been a significant surge during last few decades in the Republic of Korea. Furthermore, the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has lead to an increased use and disposal of plastic waste worldwide. This paper tried to present summarized data related to the production and disposal of plastics especially before and after the COVID-19 pandemic with environmental impacts of plastics. Also, review of plastic waste reduction policies and feasible policies to promote an act for a safe, sustainable environment are presented. Results: Plastics cause many environmental problems due to their non-degrading properties and have a huge direct and indirect impact on Ecosystems and Public Health. Microplastics need a lot of attention because their environmental effects are not yet fully identified. Despite plastic's significant impact on climate change, the impact is not yet widely known to the public. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of plastic has surged and recycling has decreased due to the increase in delivery food and online shopping. Korea is introducing very active plastic and waste management policies, but it is necessary to implement more active policies by referring to the cases of other countries. Conclusions: In this article, we have scrutinized the evolution of plastic waste generation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and delved into policy frameworks adopted by other nations, which South Korea can draw valuable lessons from. The formidable challenges posed by plastic waste, the remarkable shifts witnessed during the COVID-19 era, and the multifaceted response strategies elucidated in this paper all play a pivotal role in steering South Korea toward a sustainable future.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.214-214
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• 2006

The huge amounts of wastes were produced nowadays. Among the solid waste stream, the waste plastic portion is about 20 % in weight, over 50 % in volume. But the most of waste plastics were incinerated or land filled. Only a bit of waste plastics were recycled and reused. On the view point of current energy crisis, this will be an extravagance of beneficial resource. So we should consider the waste plastics as a beneficial raw material. Also need to develop the field of reusing and recycling of post-consumed plastic. In this context, present paper describes the methodology for enhancing or improving the specific properties by way of using inorganic filler waste. Also develop the product from these post-consumed plastic.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.310-314
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• 2020

Although waste oil derived fuel (WDF) production technology was developed under a government initiative ~10 years ago, it became stagnant owing to the small size of participating companies, residents' rejection of foul odor, and the nature of the technology for recycling waste that was avoided. However, this subject is under the spotlight again because of recent developments, such as garbage crisis. In particular, plastic is the most difficult waste to dispose of, with more than 4 million tons of plastic waste produced every year according to statistics from the Ministry of Environment. The most effective method for treating plastic waste is to produce WDF through low temperature thermal decomposition. The WDF includes several volatile ingredients that mostly limit the use of fuel for boilers, owing to safety concerns. In particular, flash point is legally stipulated because of secondary contamination in the distribution process and the risk of fire and explosion. It is required that external shipments (distribution) should be maintained in the range of at least 30~60℃ (excluding explosion prevention facilities) for diesel power generation. Therefore, this study seeks to find the flash point that is best suited to WDFs produced from plastic waste.