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Polymers
Volume 18
Issue 8
10.3390/polym18080971
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Article

Enhancing Stability of Reprocessed Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene (ABS) Polymers from Sorted WEEE Streams for Filament Extrusion

by
Christina Podara
1,
Christos Panagiotopoulos
2,
Dionysia Kouranou
2,
Christos Tsirogiannis
1,
Melpo Karamitrou
1,
Tatjana Kosanovic Milickovic
1,
Stamatina Vouyiouka
2 and
Costas Charitidis
1,*
1
Research Lab of Advanced, Composite, Nano Materials & Nanotechnology (R-NanoLab), School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon, Polytechniou St., Zografos, 157 80 Athens, Greece
2
Laboratory of Polymer Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon, Polytechniou St., Zografos , 157 80 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polymers 2026, 18(8), 971; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080971
Submission received: 16 March 2026 / Revised: 10 April 2026 / Accepted: 13 April 2026 / Published: 16 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Based Materials)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The mechanical recycling of styrenic polymers from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is often limited by thermomechanical degradation occurring during repeated processing. In this work, the degradation behaviour of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) recovered from sorted WEEE streams was systematically investigated through multiple extrusion cycles, and the effectiveness of antioxidant stabilization was evaluated. Progressive degradation was assessed by chemical structure, rheological, thermal and mechanical testing, and colorimetric analysis. Repeated processing resulted in increased melt flow, altered viscoelastic behaviour, molecular weight reduction, deterioration of mechanical properties, and discoloration. To mitigate these effects, antioxidant-stabilized compounds were prepared and subjected to identical reprocessing pathways. The addition of antioxidants effectively reduced chain scission, stabilized rheological properties, and limited colour changes during reprocessing. Furthermore, the processability of the optimized recycled ABS is demonstrated through filament extrusion for fused filament fabrication, highlighting its potential for high-value additive manufacturing applications. These results demonstrate that appropriate stabilization strategies can significantly enhance the process stability and recyclability of styrenic polymers from WEEE streams, supporting their use in higher-value applications within a circular economy framework.
Keywords: WEEE plastics; styrenic polymers; mechanical recycling; antioxidant stabilization; filament extrusion WEEE plastics; styrenic polymers; mechanical recycling; antioxidant stabilization; filament extrusion

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MDPI and ACS Style

Podara, C.; Panagiotopoulos, C.; Kouranou, D.; Tsirogiannis, C.; Karamitrou, M.; Kosanovic Milickovic, T.; Vouyiouka, S.; Charitidis, C. Enhancing Stability of Reprocessed Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene (ABS) Polymers from Sorted WEEE Streams for Filament Extrusion. Polymers 2026, 18, 971. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080971

AMA Style

Podara C, Panagiotopoulos C, Kouranou D, Tsirogiannis C, Karamitrou M, Kosanovic Milickovic T, Vouyiouka S, Charitidis C. Enhancing Stability of Reprocessed Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene (ABS) Polymers from Sorted WEEE Streams for Filament Extrusion. Polymers. 2026; 18(8):971. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080971

Chicago/Turabian Style

Podara, Christina, Christos Panagiotopoulos, Dionysia Kouranou, Christos Tsirogiannis, Melpo Karamitrou, Tatjana Kosanovic Milickovic, Stamatina Vouyiouka, and Costas Charitidis. 2026. "Enhancing Stability of Reprocessed Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene (ABS) Polymers from Sorted WEEE Streams for Filament Extrusion" Polymers 18, no. 8: 971. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080971

APA Style

Podara, C., Panagiotopoulos, C., Kouranou, D., Tsirogiannis, C., Karamitrou, M., Kosanovic Milickovic, T., Vouyiouka, S., & Charitidis, C. (2026). Enhancing Stability of Reprocessed Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene (ABS) Polymers from Sorted WEEE Streams for Filament Extrusion. Polymers, 18(8), 971. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080971

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