Nanomaterials for the management of plastic waste: a way combating white pollution

Plastics are a class of materials that encompasses a wide range of synthetic and semi-synthetic polymers, all of which share one common characteristic: they have become indispensable to human life. Plastics found to be useful in various field of applications such as medical, agriculture, packaging, etc. However, their stable long-chain hydrocarbon structures, which vary in synthetic composition, make them difficult to remove from the environment. Their resistance to environmental degradation, combined with increasing production due to their economic and consumer indispensability, has led to plastic pollution and accumulation as long-term pollutants, often referred to as “white pollution”. Conventional waste management techniques are insufficient to address the plastic pollution problem due to their inefficiency, high costs, and environmental drawbacks. One potential solution is the use of nanotechnology, which offers several unique advantages and enhances existing remediation methods. The role of nanotechnology in plastic waste management can be broadly categorized into three areas: physical removal through nanophotocatalysis, enhancement of microbial degradation, and imparting value-addition in plastics during recycling. Given the severity of plastic pollution and the essential role of plastics in modern society, it is crucial to explore innovative solutions for a sustainable future. This review article highlights the role of various nanomaterials in both the photocatalytic and biodegradation processes of plastic waste, the fabrication of nanomaterials from plastic waste, and the enhancement of recycled plastics through the incorporation of nanomaterials. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.