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Polymers
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The Recovery, the Recycling, and the Reuse of Polymer-Based Materials
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The Recovery, the Recycling, and the Reuse of Polymer-Based Materials (Closed)

A topical collection in Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This collection belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

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Editor

Prof. Dr. Francesco Paolo La Mantia

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Collection Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, RU INSTM, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymer processing; mechanical behaviour of polymer-based systems; rheological behaviour of polymer-based systems; green composites; biocomposites; nanocomposites; biodegradable polymers; polymer blends; degradation and recycling of polymer-based systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recovery, recycling, and reuse of polymer-based materials are three fundamental keywords for the future of polymeric materials. The remarkable amount of polymers consumed per year (almost 400 million ton in 2021), as well as the growing but still small amount of recycled polymer manufacts, directs much more attention to the recovery, recycling, and reuse of these materials.

This Topical Collection intends to foster the knowledge and the knowledge exchange of new researches in this filed. Papers on mechanical, chemical, and organic recycling, as well as on the energy recovery of polymers and multiphase polymer systems (such as polymer blends, polymer composites, multilayer films, etc.),  are welcome. Moreover, the use of additives, stabilizers, compatibilizers, and new recycling technologies are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Paolo La Mantia
Collection 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 collection 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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • mechanical recycling
  • chemical recycling
  • organic recycling
  • energy recovery
  • recycling of biodegradable polymers
  • additives, stabilizers, compatibilizers for recycling

Published Papers (3 papers)

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2023

Jump to: 2022

9 pages, 2162 KiB  
Article
A Green Approach for Recycling Compact Discs
by Francesco Paolo La Mantia, Domenico Liarda, Manuela Ceraulo and Maria Chiara Mistretta
Polymers 2023, 15(3), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030491 - 17 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1300
Abstract
Compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs) are mainly made by polycarbonate disc, a thin layer of aluminum or silver, a thin layer of a coating and a thin layer of a label of paper or PET. The recycling of these discs [...] Read more.
Compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs) are mainly made by polycarbonate disc, a thin layer of aluminum or silver, a thin layer of a coating and a thin layer of a label of paper or PET. The recycling of these discs is difficult due to the removal of these non-polymeric layers and to our best knowledge, no industrial plants have been resent for their recycling. In this work, we propose a facile way to remove the non-polymeric layers and investigate the effect of the repetitive extrusion process on the processability and on the mechanical properties of the recycled polycarbonate. A few works have been published dealing with both the removal of the non-polymeric layers and the mechanical recycling of the disk of polycarbonate. In our approach, the removal of the non-polymeric layers is easily obtained through a thermo-mechanical treatment in a basic solution by ammonia. This process can be considered green because is made at a low temperature with a small amount of water and a very small amount of ammonia, saving energy and water. The properties of the polycarbonate remain good if the mechanical recycling is made after drying the post-consumer polycarbonate. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2023

48 pages, 19699 KiB  
Review
Upcycling Polystyrene
by Jaworski C. Capricho, Krishnamurthy Prasad, Nishar Hameed, Mostafa Nikzad and Nisa Salim
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 5010; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14225010 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 8232
Abstract
Several environmental and techno-economic assessments highlighted the advantage of placing polystyrene-based materials in a circular loop, from production to waste generation to product refabrication, either following the mechanical or thermochemical routes. This review provides an assortment of promising approaches to solving the dilemma [...] Read more.
Several environmental and techno-economic assessments highlighted the advantage of placing polystyrene-based materials in a circular loop, from production to waste generation to product refabrication, either following the mechanical or thermochemical routes. This review provides an assortment of promising approaches to solving the dilemma of polystyrene waste. With a focus on upcycling technologies available in the last five years, the review first gives an overview of polystyrene, its chemistry, types, forms, and varied applications. This work presents all the stages that involve polystyrene’s cycle of life and the properties that make this product, in mixtures with other polymers, command a demand on the market. The features and mechanical performance of the studied materials with their associated images give an idea of the influence of recycling on the structure. Notably, technological assessments of elucidated approaches are also provided. No single approach can be mentioned as effective per se; hybrid technologies appear to possess the highest potential. Finally, this review correlates the amenability of these polystyrene upcycling methodologies to frontier technologies relating to 3D printing, human space habitation, flow chemistry, vertical farming, and green hydrogen, which may be less intuitive to many. Full article
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16 pages, 3947 KiB  
Article
Full Recycling and Re-Use of Bio-Based Epoxy Thermosets: Chemical and Thermomechanical Characterization of the Recycled Matrices
by Sandro Dattilo, Gianluca Cicala, Paolo Maria Riccobene, Concetto Puglisi and Lorena Saitta
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 4828; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14224828 - 09 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2131
Abstract
High performances of thermosets deriving from their covalent intermolecular cross-link bonds result in their low recyclability hindering the full exploitation of a truly circular approach for cured thermosets. In this experimental work, the recyclability of a bio-based fully recyclable epoxy resin using a [...] Read more.
High performances of thermosets deriving from their covalent intermolecular cross-link bonds result in their low recyclability hindering the full exploitation of a truly circular approach for cured thermosets. In this experimental work, the recyclability of a bio-based fully recyclable epoxy resin using a mild chemical recycling process was demonstrated. The recycled polymer obtained was fully characterized to ascertain its structure and properties. MALDI (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization), GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography) and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy to determine the chemical structure of the recycled polymer were used. The thermomechanical properties of the cured virgin network and of the recycled product obtained were measured by DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) and DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis). Thermogravimetric analysis of the recycled polymer was also performed. The recycled polymer was transformed into a polyurethane by reacting it with an isocyanate. The synthetized polyurethane obtained therefrom was thoroughly characterized by thermogravimetric analysis. This approach proved the possibility to up-scale the recycled product making it available for novel applications exploiting its re-use. Full article
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