Study on the Treatment of Microplastics via Electrocoagulation and the Application of Plastic Waste as Carbon Coating Precursor

초록

As industrial technology is highly developed, plastic materials are used in various industrial fields, and their usage is increasing yearly. As a result, more than 200 million tons of plastic waste are discharged annually. In particular, plastic waste flowing into the ocean is a severe pollution source threatening the marine ecosystem. In order to solve this problem, a step of treating microplastics has been introduced in various conventional water treatment processes. However, disadvantages such as prolonged treatment time and generation of secondary pollutants during the process remain challenges to be overcome. In this study, we investigated the treatment process of microplastics in water using the electrocoagulation method and the separation process using magnetism. Also, a study was conducted on how to use plastics as a precursor for the carbon coating process. The surface structure of the flocs formed by the electrocoagulation method was confirmed in the experiment. Moreover, the effect of variables such as electrolyte concentration and size of plastics to be treated was confirmed. The reaction was investigated. In addition, a magnet separation process was suggested for the treated flocs, and it was confirmed that the carboncoated composite could be prepared from flocs by annealing under argon conditions. The as-prepared carboncoated composite was used as an anode active material for a lithium-ion battery by mixing with a graphite material. Then, the electrochemical performance was evaluated, proposing the eco-friendly process from treating the plastic in water to manufacturing energy materials.