Upcycle waste plastics to magnetic carbon materials for dye adsorption from polluted water

Here, we report an efficient method for the transformation of waste car bumpers into mesoporous magnetic carbon material. Nearly 25 wt% of polypropylene was transformed into carbon material when an optimized amount of catalysts was introduced into the bumper composite. In addition, due to the presence of Fe and Co nanoparticles, the carbon nanomaterial exhibits magnetic properties. The obtained product was used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of dye pollutants from water – nearly 100% of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) can be efficiently removed from an aqueous solution in a short duration. Furthermore, benefiting from their strong saturation magnetization, the obtained carbon materials can be easily separated from the solution by a magnet and reused multiple times. Based on the experimental results, the proposed route can pave a way to recycle waste plastics to provide large amounts of highly valuable carbon products in the future.