Date: Sept. 28, 2021

Source: College of Packaging Engineering

Author: Zhang Yu

Chen Zhifeng, a postgraduate student in JNU's Packaging Engineering Institute, has published a paper in the internationally renowned Journal of Hazardous Materials (impact factor 10.588). This journal, famous in its field, publishes important research results on the adverse effects of hazardous materials on public health or the environment.

(The cover of the paper)

Chen's paper, titled Comparison of the ability of UV-Vis and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with chemometrics to discriminate recycled and virgin polyethylene, focuses on plastic waste, whose accumulation in oceans, landfills and other land areas is endangering wildlife, ecosystem environment and even human's health.

The institute's food and drug packaging research team has tried many technologies to identify recycled plastics. Then it developed a technology that could quickly and accurately identify recycled polyethylene, which could provide an important technical means for monitoring irregular recycled polyethylene in the market. This team also explored potentially risky components of recycled polyethylene .

(Charts about the research process and results in the paper)

The institute's postgraduate program has three divisions:  transport packaging, food and drug packaging and package printing. Two postgraduate students on the team have been funded by the China Scholarship Council for their excellent research results. They have been engaged in doctoral research work in European institutions in the field of food packaging safety.