High value-added utilization of artificial marble wastes and potential applications in biodegradable sustainable packaging

Approximately up to 2 billion tons of solid waste are generated globally each year. The resource recovery uti-lization of solid waste has become an urgent need, which can not only greatly improve environmental pollution but also alleviate the problem of resource shortage. In this work, artificial marble waste (AMW) was introduced into polylactic acid/polyvinyl alcohol/polyethylene glycol (PLA/PVA/PEG) composites to develop AMWs-reinforced biodegradable sustainable composites (BSC). AMWs-reinforced BSC exhibited excellent strength, toughness, processability, and can withstand more than 8000 times its weight. Notably, AMWs significantly accelerated the degradation rate of the composite. Compared with the BSC without AMWs, the weight loss of 8% AMWs-reinforced BSC was increased by nearly 20% after 28 days of degradation. The promising application of AMWs-reinforced BSC in next-generation biodegradable sustainable packaging (BSP) was demonstrated. This not only enabled high value-added utilization of AMWs but also greatly accelerated the degradation rate of plastic packaging and reduced white pollution. The work effectively promotes resource utilization and environmental improvement through resource recovery and accelerated degradation of solid wastes, providing new ideas to solve resource shortages and environmental problems.

Automated summary

Approximately 2 billion tons of solid waste are generated globally each year. The utilization of solid waste for resource recovery has become urgent in order to improve environmental pollution and address resource shortages. This study introduces artificial marble waste into biodegradable sustainable composites, resulting in increased strength, toughness, and accelerated degradation. The promising application of these composites in sustainable packaging demonstrates their potential for high-value utilization of waste and environmental improvement.