Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Materials Edit a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Advances in the Circularity of Polymeric and Composite Materials"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2023 | Viewed by 4812

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Patricia Krawczak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Centre for Materials and Processes, Institut Mines-Télécom, IMT Nord Europe, Douai, France
Interests: advanced composites; polymer composites; composites manufacturing and properties; polymer processing and properties; advanced manufacturing; additive manufacturing and 3D printing; structural health monitoring; recycling; bio-based polymers and composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Sary Awad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Département Systèmes énergétiques et environnement/ GEPEA UMR-CNRS 6144, IMT Atlantique, Institut Mines-Télécom, Nantes, France
Interests: pyrolysis; alternative fuels; thermochemical processes; hydrothermal liquefaction; internal combustion engines; multiphysics modeling; engine tests; energy recovery

Dr. Florentin Berthet

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institut Clément Ader (ICA), IMT Mines Albi, Institut Mines-Télécom, Albi, France
Interests: advanced composites; polymer composites; composites manufacturing and properties; recycling of composites; recycled carbon fibers; steam thermolysis; composites waste; mechanical properties

Prof. Dr. José-Marie Lopez-Cuesta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Centre des Matériaux des Mines d'Alès, Ecole des Mines d'Alès, 6 Avenue de Clavières, 30319 Alès, CEDEX, France
Interests: nanocomposites; biobased composites; flame retardancy; additive manufacturing; recycling and life cycle analysis of polymer and composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymeric and composite materials are ubiquitous today. However, to improve their sustainability, it is of paramount importance to make sure that their waste does not end up in landfill or in the environment, and to find ways to recover and reuse these materials in useful and profitable applications. To contribute to building a resource-efficient future, it has become essential to put them in the loop of a more circular economy.

Eco-design, including design for recycling, has become the watchword, with several recycling techniques available and competing to achieve this ambitious goal. There is also an increasing number of attempts to reuse constitutive products recovered that way by reincorporating them into new materials or high value-added applications. Which methods achieve which objectives, however, and which make sense for various feedstocks?

This Special Issue welcomes papers (original research articles, state-of-the art reviews, short communications, perspectives, viewpoints, opinions, concept papers or case reports) on the latest advances and development of recycling, recovery, and reuse of polymeric and composite materials. Suggested contributions may address materials, processing, sorting, design, performance, or application issues, with either experimental or numerical approaches.

Prof. Dr. Patricia Krawczak
Dr. Sary Awad
Dr. Florentin Berthet
Prof. Dr. José-Marie Lopez-Cuesta
Guest Editors

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 2300 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

circular economy
recycling and recovery
recycling-by-design, design for recycling
upcyling
mechanical, chemical, or thermal recycling
solvolysis
depolymerization
thermolysis, pyrolysis, gasification
advanced sorting
waste materials
polymers, plastics
composites, fiber-reinforced plastics
thermoplastics, thermosets
glass, carbon or plant-based fibers
alternative fuels
engine tests
energy recovery

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Surface Chemistry of Fiber and Lignocellulosic Materials on Adhesion Properties with Polybutylene Succinate at Nanoscale

and

Véronique Aguié-Béghin

Materials 2023, 16(6), 2440; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062440 - 18 Mar 2023

Viewed by 451

Abstract

The production of bio-based composites with enhanced characteristics constitutes a strategic action to minimize the use of fossil fuel resources. The mechanical performances of these materials are related to the specific properties of their components, as well as to the quality of the interface between the matrix and the fibers. In a previous research study, it was shown that the polarity of the matrix played a key role in the mechanisms of fiber breakage during processing, as well as on the final properties of the composite. However, some key questions remained unanswered, and new investigations were necessary to improve the knowledge of the interactions between a lignocellulosic material and a polar matrix. In this work, for the first time, atomic force microscopy based on force spectroscopy measurements was carried out using functionalized tips to characterize the intermolecular interactions at the single molecule level, taking place between poly(butylene succinate) and four different plant fibers. The efficiency of the tip functionalization was checked out by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, whereas the fibers chemistry was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Larger interactions at the nanoscale level were found between the matrix and hypolignified fibers compared to lignified ones, as in control experiments on single lignocellulosic polymer films. These results could significantly aid in the design of the most appropriate composite composition depending on its final use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Circularity of Polymeric and Composite Materials)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Dynamic Surface Leaching of Monolithic Polymer Mortars Comprised of Wastes

Yannick Mamindy-Pajany

and

Nor-Edine Abriak

Materials 2023, 16(6), 2150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062150 - 07 Mar 2023

Viewed by 377

Abstract

Today, the reuse of waste in building materials occupies an important place in the approach to the circularity of materials. National and European environmental regulations require ensuring the environmental safety of material-incorporating waste. For this, there are specific tests to verify that there is no health risk when using these materials. Concretely, to check the environmental acceptability of construction materials, including wastes, the release of hazardous substances into water must be assessed. In this research, we performed a diffusion test with the sequential renewal of water during a 64-day period according to the NF EN 15863 specifications on polymer mortar monoliths, common construction products used in floor-covering applications and incorporating sediments. Polymer mortars were prepared at a laboratory scale by incorporating 30 or 50% of polluted sediment for various polymer concentrations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 25%). It was shown that the release of inorganic substances is limited in these hydrodynamic conditions. Among trace elements, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn are lower than quantification limits in most leachates, whereas Ba, Co, Cu and V are systematically quantified at low concentration levels. This is particularly true for samples displaying the highest polymer concentration (25%) and the lowest sediment incorporation rate (30%). This is because of the low water absorption level and low porosity of polymer mortar matrices. No adverse effect is to be expected for environmental health from the leachates of these construction materials, including waterways sediments, because all the measured parameters were below the Soil Quality Decree limits applied in the Netherlands for environmental assessment of construction products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Circularity of Polymeric and Composite Materials)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Performance of Flax Fiber Composites with Waste Glass Fibers as a Core Structure

Anurag Pisupati

and

Myléne Deléglise Lagardère

Materials 2022, 15(24), 9017; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15249017 - 16 Dec 2022

Viewed by 534

Abstract

This work sheds light on the first steps towards using glass fiber waste for semi-structural applications. This work aims to improve the properties of random flax fiber composites by incorporating waste glass fibers (WGF) obtained from the fiber production line. The waste glass fibers were incorporated as a core structure between the flax layers to form a hybrid composite. Two routes of manufacturing viz. vacuum infusion and autoclave were used to identify the optimum route to incorporate the WGF in flax fiber composites. The quality of composites was investigated in terms of residual void content and thickness uniformity. Residual void content was identified to be directly proportional to the WGF content in the composites. With the increase in WGF content, the flexural and impact properties were increased by 47% and 117%, respectively, indicating a positive hybridization effect. Furthermore, a global warming potential indicator was identified to be small, indicating the eco-friendliness of these composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Circularity of Polymeric and Composite Materials)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

Open AccessReview

Circulatory Management of Polymer Waste: Recycling into Fine Fibers and Their Applications

Alena Opálková Šišková

Petra Peer

Anita Eckstein Andicsová

Igor Jordanov

and

Piotr Rychter

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4694; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164694 - 20 Aug 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2376

Abstract

In modern society, it is impossible to imagine life without polymeric materials. However, managing the waste composed of these materials is one of the most significant environmental issues confronting us in the present day. Recycling polymeric waste is the most important action currently available to reduce environmental impacts worldwide and is one of the most dynamic areas in industry today. Utilizing this waste could not only benefit the environment but also promote sustainable development and circular economy management. In its program statement, the European Union has committed to support the use of sorted polymeric waste. This study reviews recent attempts to recycle this waste and convert it by alternative technologies into fine, nano-, and microscale fibers using electrospinning, blowing, melt, or centrifugal spinning. This review provides information regarding applying reprocessed fine fibers in various areas and a concrete approach to mitigate the threat of pollution caused by polymeric materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Circularity of Polymeric and Composite Materials)

► Show Figures