A clean and efficient flotation towards recovery of hazardous polyvinyl chloride and polycarbonate microplastics through selective aluminum coating: Process, mechanism, and optimization

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonate (PC) microplastics are major sources of hazardous chlorine and bisphenol A, threatening the ecosystem and environment. Plastic recycling can control the source of microplastics pollution, but the recycling of PVC and PC will be prevented by invalid separation. We established a novel and clean flotation method to separate PVC and PC microplastics by using aluminum coating. Trace amounts of Al(OH) 3 can selectively coat the PVC microplastics surface due to its strong affinity for PVC. The contact angle of PVC decreases by 24° due to abundant hydroxyl groups of Al(OH) 3 coating, whereas PC remained hydrophobic. Response surface methodology (RSM) combining Box-Behnken design (BBD) is used to optimize modification. A quadratic model is established to predict PC purity, explore the interaction between pH, aluminum chloride concentration, and ultrasonic duration. The recovery and purity of microplastics can exceed 99.65% with parameter optimization. The effects of multi-component, brand, shape, size, and mass ratio of plastics are utilized to evaluate the application potential. The suitable situations and limits of this method are disclosed. The aluminum coating offers significant benefits over other modifications in terms of reaction temperature, treatment time, and pollution prevention. Flotation based on aluminum coating provides a new insight for separating and recycling microplastics. • Aluminum coating was applied in the floatation separation of PVC and PC MPs. • Strong interaction between Al(OH) 3 and C–Cl bond led to PVC hydrophilization. • Response surface methodology was used to optimize the modification conditions. • Over 99.65% PVC and PC microplastics can be separated and recovered. • Aluminum coating is a gentler, faster, and cleaner surface modification method.