Photocatalytic activity of low – density polyethylene [LDPE] under visible light using zinc oxcide [ZnO] and titanium dioxide [TiO2] as photocatalyst / Hazirah Haron

Every day, thousands of tons of pollutants, including plastic, are released into the environment due to various natural phenomena and human acts in this world (Obebe & Adamu, 2020). When plastic waste is not adequately handled, these plastic wastes litter to surroundings which can harm wildlife, habitat, humans, and the ecosystem. Landfilling, incineration, and recycling are the most common ways to dispose of plastic waste. However, many technologies are being developed for recycling because it is a better way to handle the plastic waste. In addition, new methods for making plastics degradable are being developed, such as thermal degradation, biodegradation, and photodegradation (Lin, 2016). This study is focusing on the photocatalytic degradation of LDPE using ZnO and TiO2 as the photocatalyst. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of MB photodegradation of LDPE over ZnO and TiO2 photocatalyst under visible light and the kinetic degradation of MB by using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model can be determined. The studies showed photocatalysis for polymer degradation was found to be practical, affordable, and energy-efficient. This is because the photocatalytic is one of the alternative methods for degrading plastic that has been proven effective. By using fabrication process, three samples which are LDPE, (30/70 wt/wt %) of ZnO/LDPE, and 30/70 (wt/wt %) of TiO2/LDPE can be prepared.