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Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Polymeric Waste Materials
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Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Polymeric Waste Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 23197

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Valentina Beghetto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Science and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University Venice, Via Torino 155, Venezia, Italy
Interests: sustainability; green chemistry; product recovery/recycle; agrifood waste biopolymers, leather industry; packaging industry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers and plastics are common constituents of many daily life products, widely employed for their light weight, versatility, safety of use, and durability. Nevertheless, plastic waste is becoming a serious problem for the environment due to its high stability in time, requiring several hundred years to degrade. The environmental impact of these materials concerns mainly waste and end-of-life management but inevitably involves the entire production chain.
Many studies have been published proposing product and process innovation which may contribute to reduce the burden of plastic in the future. There is really no one solution but a set of complementary and alternative activities and technologies that may all together contribute to reduce the production and impact of petrochemical derived plastics and polymers.
The aim of this Special Issue of the journal Materials is to publish original research and review articles tackling the problem of petrochemical derived polymers and plastic materials, reporting environmentally sustainable solutions such as:

  • Recovery, recycle, and reuse of plastic waste as secondary primary starting material;
  • Alternative processes, also catalytic, for the substitution of petrochemical derived materials with biopolymers;
  • Life cycle assessment and life cycle cost evaluation;
  • Innovation in the production chain and waste management;
  • Environmental analysis of alternative product/process.

Dr. Valentina Beghetto
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • recovery, recycle, reuse
  • green chemistry
  • circular economy
  • process/product innovation
  • biopolymers
  • waste management
  • LCA/LC

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 760 KiB  
Article
Efficient Triazine Derivatives for Collagenous Materials Stabilization
by Vanessa Gatto, Silvia Conca, Noemi Bardella and Valentina Beghetto
Materials 2021, 14(11), 3069; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14113069 - 04 Jun 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2488
Abstract
Nowadays, the need to reduce plastic waste and scantly biodegradable fossil-based products is of great importance. The use of leather as an alternative to synthetic materials is gaining renewed interest, but it is fundamental that any alternative to plastic-based materials should not generate [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the need to reduce plastic waste and scantly biodegradable fossil-based products is of great importance. The use of leather as an alternative to synthetic materials is gaining renewed interest, but it is fundamental that any alternative to plastic-based materials should not generate an additional environmental burden. In the present work, a simple protocol for collagen stabilization mediated by 2-chloro-4,6-diethoxy-1,3,5-triazine (CDET) and a tert-amine has been described. Different tert-amines were tested in combination with CDET in a standard amidation reaction between 2-phenylethylamine and benzoic acid. Best performing condensation systems have been further tested for the cross-linking of both collagen powder and calf hides. The best results were achieved with CDET/NMM giving high-quality leather with improved environmental performances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Polymeric Waste Materials)
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12 pages, 3339 KiB  
Article
Processability and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Polylactide/Polyhydroxybutyrate (PLA/PHB) Bioblends
by Olga Olejnik, Anna Masek and Jakub Zawadziłło
Materials 2021, 14(4), 898; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14040898 - 14 Feb 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3593
Abstract
This work considers the application of eco-friendly, biodegradable materials based on polylactide (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), instead of conventional polymeric materials, in order to prevent further environmental endangerment by accumulation of synthetic petro-materials. This new approach to the topic is focused on analyzing [...] Read more.
This work considers the application of eco-friendly, biodegradable materials based on polylactide (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), instead of conventional polymeric materials, in order to prevent further environmental endangerment by accumulation of synthetic petro-materials. This new approach to the topic is focused on analyzing the processing properties of blends without incorporating any additives that could have a harmful impact on human organisms, including the endocrine system. The main aim of the research was to find the best PLA/PHB ratio to obtain materials with desirable mechanical, processing and application properties. Therefore, two-component polymer blends were prepared by mixing different mass ratios of PLA and PHB (100/0, 50/10, 50/20, 40/30, 50/50, 30/40, 20/50, 10/50 and 0/100 mass ratio) using an extrusion process. The prepared blends were analyzed in terms of thermal and mechanical properties as well as miscibility and surface characteristics. Taking into account the test results, the PLA/PHB blend with a 50/10 ratio turned out to be most suitable in terms of mechanical and processing properties. This blend has the potential to become a bio-based and simultaneously biodegradable material safe for human health dedicated for the packaging industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Polymeric Waste Materials)
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17 pages, 2631 KiB  
Article
Environmentally Friendly Polymer Blends Based on Post-Consumer Glycol-Modified Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET-G) Foils and Poly(Ethylene 2,5-Furanoate) (PEF): Preparation and Characterization
by Sandra Paszkiewicz, Izabela Irska and Elzbieta Piesowicz
Materials 2020, 13(12), 2673; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13122673 - 12 Jun 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4332
Abstract
Environmentally friendly polymer blends between post-consumer PET-G and bio-based poly(ethylene 2,5 furanoate) (PEF) have been prepared. The PET-G granules were obtained from the post-consumer glycol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) PET-G foils from Nicrometal S.A. as a result of materials recycling. PEF was synthesized from dimethyl [...] Read more.
Environmentally friendly polymer blends between post-consumer PET-G and bio-based poly(ethylene 2,5 furanoate) (PEF) have been prepared. The PET-G granules were obtained from the post-consumer glycol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) PET-G foils from Nicrometal S.A. as a result of materials recycling. PEF was synthesized from dimethyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate and 1,2-ethylene glycol (BioUltra) by a two-stage melt polycondensation process. According to the calculations followed by Hoy’s method, one has studied the miscibility of the components in the blend. The molecular structure of PET-G/PEF blends was analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy, while the morphology of the blends was determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). To evaluate phase transition temperatures, as well as the thermal effects in PET-G/PEF blends, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA), and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), were performed. Tensile tests revealed that along with an increase in the amount of PEF, an increase in Young’s modulus was observed. Besides, the existence of interfacial interactions between polymers, especially in the case of PET-G/PEF 80/20, enabling the PET-G chains to form a network structure with the PEF by reacting with their functional groups, allows observation of a synergistic effect in the improvement of thermal stability and water absorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Polymeric Waste Materials)
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Review

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24 pages, 13105 KiB  
Review
Recent Advancements in Plastic Packaging Recycling: A Mini-Review
by Valentina Beghetto, Roberto Sole, Chiara Buranello, Marco Al-Abkal and Manuela Facchin
Materials 2021, 14(17), 4782; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14174782 - 24 Aug 2021
Cited by 52 | Viewed by 11652
Abstract
Today, the scientific community is facing crucial challenges in delivering a healthier world for future generations. Among these, the quest for circular and sustainable approaches for plastic recycling is one of the most demanding for several reasons. Indeed, the massive use of plastic [...] Read more.
Today, the scientific community is facing crucial challenges in delivering a healthier world for future generations. Among these, the quest for circular and sustainable approaches for plastic recycling is one of the most demanding for several reasons. Indeed, the massive use of plastic materials over the last century has generated large amounts of long-lasting waste, which, for much time, has not been object of adequate recovery and disposal politics. Most of this waste is generated by packaging materials. Nevertheless, in the last decade, a new trend imposed by environmental concerns brought this topic under the magnifying glass, as testified by the increasing number of related publications. Several methods have been proposed for the recycling of polymeric plastic materials based on chemical or mechanical methods. A panorama of the most promising studies related to the recycling of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS) is given within this review. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Sustainable Solutions to Polymeric Waste Materials)
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