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Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
School of Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Photodegradation of Polyethylene. Plastic bags pose a 'visual pollution' problem as they have a high surface-to-volume ratio and because they are often brightly coloured. Enhanced photo-oxidation is a possible route to accelerate the mineralisation of such litter and the shopping bag industry expressed interest in this type of technology. Mr II Eyenga completed a master's dissertation on the effect of selected metal complexes and anti-oxidants on the accelerated weathering of blown polyethylene films. A commercial product was developed and test bags were subjected to both natural and accelerated weathering. The results are very promising as bags with a thickness of ca. 15 micron start to disintegrate within three weeks of sun exposure compared to ca. 1 year or more for conventional bags. The first production trial comprising 40 000 bags was completed during October 2002 and will be distributed by a retail chain in the Cape Town area in order to gauge public acceptance.
Contact person: Prof WW Focke.
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