Sydney Pedari
Carleton University, MS Chemistry
EREF Scholar 2024
Streamlining Plastic Reclamation Using Microbial Degradation and Raman Spectroscopy
The increase in the global population has resulted in the increase in disposal of consumer goods, especially consumer electronics that contribute large amounts of plastic to landfills. Despite the major environmental concerns tied to microplastics, plastic remains challenging to recycle in electronic waste because they co-occur alongside environmental pollutants such as brominated flame retardants (BFR). BFRs are known to for their ability to reduce the flammability of plastics and electronics, yet they pose environmental and health risks including being potential endocrine disruptors and reproductive toxins. Conventional plastic degradation methods (e.g., photodegradation and incineration) are slow, inefficient and potentially cause additional environmental concerns of toxic pollutants. This has created a situation for stakeholders in the electronic waste sector wherein it remains challenging to effectively reuse the raw materials comprising plastics (e.g., polymers) while maintain compliance with international regulations on hazardous waste (e.g., The Basel Convention). Recent discoveries demonstrating that bacteria can metabolize plastic have provided a sustainable alternative to physical and chemical plastic recycling strategies. Model microorganisms such as Ideonella sakasinesis have been show to degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) whereas Bacillus amyloliquefaciens for polyethylene (PE). Moreover, a number of microbial cultures have shown that they can also degrade BFRs to non-toxic by products. These microbial pathways offer two potential solutions for valorizing plastic in electronic waste: Directly breaking down the plastic polymers for reuse and/or degrading the BFRs to enable the reuse of plastic in downstream products. To apply the appropriate management solution for different plastics, an analytical method that can sort the plastics in solid waste needs to be established. Ideally, the method should allow a rapid and non-destructive analysis of the types of plastics and the presence/quantity of BFR, such as Raman spectroscopy. The overall objective of this proposed study is to validate plastic biodegradation strategies for electronic waste using model plastic biodegrading organisms. As part of this work, methods to develop novel Raman spectroscopy methods to characterize plastics and BFRs in electronic waste and compared the biodegradation capacity of different model organisms under controlled conditions.
Biography
Sydney earned a B.Sc. in Computational Biochemistry from Carleton University, Canada, in 2023. During her undergraduate studies, she gained extensive knowledge in biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and computer science, and learned how to integrate these interdisciplinary fields. She also worked with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the Import and Export Plant Pathogen Department. Currently, Sydney is pursuing a master’s degree in Chemistry at Carleton University and is expected to graduate in December 2025.
