As plastics have been omnipresent in society ever since their introduction in 1907, global plastic production has ballooned in the 20th century or the Plasticene Era (Plastic Age). After their useful life span, they deliberately or accidentally, are disposed of in the environment. Influenced by different factors, plastics undergo fragmentation into microplastics (MPs) and present hazardous risks in all life forms including humans. Obliterating MPs from the environment has been a global challenge for the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). This review aims to present MP degradation routes with a great focus on the thermodegradation and biodegradation routes as sustainable routes of MP degradation. These routes can achieve the reduction and obliteration of MPs in the environment, thus reducing their hazardous effects. Moreover, the thermodegradation of MPs can produce fuels that help solve the dilemma of energy security. Overall, continued research and development are still needed, however, these novel approaches and the increased awareness of the microplastics' hazards give us hope that we can achieve sustainable development in the near future.

The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is a promising waste heat recovery technology to improve energy efficiency. The current investigation presents the experimental results on the thermal performance of a novel PCHE for low-temperature waste heat recovery. The novel PCHE was manufactured using precision machining and diffusion bonding. The thermal performances, such as effectiveness and NTU values at different temperatures, are evaluated, and water is used as a working fluid. The experimental results indicate that the PCHE’s effectiveness is around 0.979 for an inlet flow temperature of 95 °C. The predominant factors affecting the thermal performance of the PCHE are the inlet flow temperature and the flow rate of the working fluid. In addition, a comparison of the experimental results and the literature shows that the effectiveness of the PCHE is better than the others, which have fewer layers of PCHE fins.