Polymers, Processing and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, public and scientific awareness of environmental challenges has grown due to changes in the climate and their harmful effects on animal and plant species.

Petroleum-based polymers and manufacturing processes are associated with a number of health and environmental risks from chemical leaks and contaminants in the water and air, such as phthalates from plasticizers for softening effects; bisphenol A (BPA), which is used as a reagent in the production of polycarbonate, epoxy resins, coatings and adhesives; polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), which is used as a fire retardant; microplastics and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from plastic debris as a consequence of their chemical and physical degradation processes; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x), during the extraction and transportation of raw materials, manufacturing and waste treatment; solid waste buildup in nature and its persistence in the ocean, coastal zones and terrestrial environments due to plastics not being easily degradable; and so on.

To achieve sustainability in industrial sectors and manufactured goods, materials and techniques should be designed with the goal of attaining energy and water efficiency, employing clean energy and renewable resources, incorporating recyclability and reuse principles, improving products’ degradability and minimizing emissions and the release of toxic and harmful species. Strategies for sustainable growth and low-environmental-impact design include optimizing the use of structural and functional materials and optimizing processes and technologies for production and development. These goals can be achieved by designing renewable and eco-friendly raw materials, lower-energy-content raw materials, recycled and/or recyclable materials and/or using alternative manufacturing procedures that reduce the number of production phases, utilize less energy and water, do not introduce dangerous species into the environment and lessen trash. Finally, controlling material performance and product quality is critical to determine the efficacy of manufacturing processes in meeting the standards and requirements of conventional plastics.

This Special Issue will collect original contributions, both research papers and reviews, demonstrating recent results and/or positive advances in the development of new sustainable materials, innovative technological designs and optimization methods targeted at lowering the environmental impact of polymer-based manufacturing processes while preserving product quality and material performance in light of applications in medicine, agriculture, coatings and paints, biotechnology, automotive, packaging, textiles, electronics and so on.

Dr. Antonella Patti
Dr. Stefano Acierno
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

• renewable and/or eco-friendly raw materials
• sustainability in polymer-based processes
• waste reduction
• improving product degradability
• energy efficiency
• reducing water consumption
• recovery, recyclability and recycling
• replacement of harmful substances
• minimal or no emission of dangerous substances into the environment
• performance of sustainable polymer-based systems