The July issue of CJCE features the first article of an exciting new special series titled “Pathways to a Circular Economy of Plastics” organized by Guest Editor Dimitrios Meimaroglou of Université de Lorraine, France. Within the preface, Dr. Meimaroglou introduces this special series by noting that while the polymer industry has been important in creating products essential in our lives, there are significant associated consequences:
“The polymer industry has been instrumental in creating plastic products that have been extremely valuable in improving our lives, both in terms of their properties and functionalities and—lately—in terms of their contribution to a more sustainable future … At the same time, it is impossible to overlook the dramatic consequences of plastic accumulation and pollution in various ecosystems, which present a significant threat to biodiversity, human health, and the sustainability of our planet. A fundamental shift in how we produce, consume, and dispose of plastic, within a transition from a linear to a circular economy, is one of the most pressing challenges of our time towards a more sustainable future … This special series of The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering addresses these challenges, including (but not limited to) plastics’ recycling/upcycling technologies, circularity-by-design, tracing/sorting technologies, LCA, and environmental impact.”
The Editor’s Choice article from this issue is the first article from the new series: “Biorecycling of polylactide: From enzymatic depolymerization to biotransformation of released products” by Alaric Catard, Isabelle Chevalot, and Sandrine Hoppe of Université de Lorraine, France. Within this article, the authors note “Polylactic acid (PLA) is a polymer that can replace several petroleum-based polymers due to its properties and bio-sourced nature” though “sustainable recycling processes of PLA avoiding the creation of waste and enabling it to be used as a raw material must be implemented.” In this article, the authors discuss “enzymatic hydrolysis” and “different approaches that have led to the discovery of new PLA depolymerizing enzymes” as well as provide an overview of a number of related approaches. Be sure to read this article to learn more!
The second issue highlight from the July issue is the latest addition to the Experimental Methods in Chemical Engineering Special Series. It is an open access mini-review titled “Experimental methods in chemical engineering: Electron probe micro-analysis—EPMA” by Viviane de Oliveira Campos, Felipe Fernandes Barbosa, Ellen Kadja Lima de Morais, Dulce Maria Araújo Melo, Jildimara de Jesus Santana, and Gregory S. Patience of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and Polytechnique Montréal. This mini review provides an overview of electron probe microanalysis, its uses, related research areas, and more.
The next article featured in this issue is another open access article: “Evaluating the feasibility of using a rapeseed oil-derived anionic polymeric surfactant for enhanced oil recovery from carbonate/sandstone composite reservoirs” by Iman Nowrouzi, Amir H. Mohammadi, and Abbas Khaksar Manshad of University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and Petroleum University of Technology (PUT), Iran. This study aimed “to investigate enhanced oil recovery from carbonate/sandstone composite (CSC) reservoirs using a negative-charged rapeseed oil-based polymeric surfactant.” The authors note that “the experiments of interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity, contact angle, and injection of chemical slugs into the CSC plugs were performed. Based on the results, the surfactant remained stable at reservoir temperature and salinity up to 90,000 ppm, and increased viscosity to optimal levels at the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 4000 ppm and higher.” Check out this article for more of the results.
The final issue highlight is an open access article titled “Experimental and model-based investigation of the droplet size distribution during the mixing process in a batch-settling cell” by Stepan Sibirtsev, Lukas Thiel, Song Zhai, Yutang Toni Cai, Louis Recke, and Andreas Jupke of Aachen University, Germany. The study presented within this article “considers the polydispersity of the initial DSD [droplet size distribution] resulting from the mixing process in the settling cell to enhance the model accuracy. DSDs of o/w and w/o dispersions during the mixing process in a settling cell are investigated in this work for 2-methyltetrahydrofuran/water and decane/water material systems at hold-ups of 25–50 vol.% and stirrer speeds of 400–850 min−1. Sauter mean diameters (SMD) and DSD shapes are analyzed to identify the influence of the investigated parameters on the SMD and DSD and to model the SMD and DSD.” Access this article for the results!