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Waste Polymer: Recycling and Valorization

A Special Issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360) belonging to the section "Circular and Green Sustainable Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 1184

Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Wels, Austria
Interests: structure–processing–property relationships of polymer-based systems; polymer matrix composites; simple models for predicting polymer matrix composite properties; mechanical recycling of plastics; natural fiber reinforcement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing accumulation of waste polymers, specifically mixed and partially inseparable grades, demands innovative strategies for sustainable management. This Special Issue focuses on advanced approaches for the valorization and recycling of plastic waste, including mechanical recycling strategies, innovative chemical depolymerization and valorization approaches and the development of circular-material pathways, which are robust to tolerate typical contaminations. Emphasis is placed on novel catalytic or solvent based systems, formulation and process optimization for improved mechanical recycling and the design of recyclable polymers that reduce environmental impact. Contributions exploring life‑cycle assessment, upcycling into high‑value materials and integration of recycling technologies into industrial practice are encouraged. The issue aims to highlight cutting‑edge research that supports a more circular and resource‑efficient polymer economy.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Burgstaller
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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 polymer recycling
  • chemical polymer recycling
  • formulation development
  • recyclable polymers
  • recyclable composites
  • closed loop polymers

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 5063 KB  
Article
Investigating the Deinking of Polyethylene Post-Consumer Waste Flakes Using Industrially Applicable Surfactants
by Steven Zimmer, Lisa Leuchtenberger-Engel, Achim Grefenstein and Rainer Dahlmann
Polymers 2026, 18(17), 2172; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18172172 - 5 Sep 2026
Viewed by 389
Abstract
In recycling of plastic packaging, the deinking of post-consumer waste (PCW) is a key technology to achieve high-quality recyclates that can be used in demanding applications. Removing printing inks minimises the contamination in the mechanical recycling process, enabling the production of (semi)-transparent recycled [...] Read more.
In recycling of plastic packaging, the deinking of post-consumer waste (PCW) is a key technology to achieve high-quality recyclates that can be used in demanding applications. Removing printing inks minimises the contamination in the mechanical recycling process, enabling the production of (semi)-transparent recycled films with low odour and fewer defects. While the deinking of uniformly printed model films is thoroughly researched and the general mechanism well understood, these findings are not readily transferable to industrial implementation on household PCW. This study systematically investigates the deinking of household PCW flakes using industrially available surfactants. Deinking parameters (water temperature, washing time, lye concentration) are varied with no surfactant added as well as for four industrially available surfactant formulations. The deinking efficiency is determined via an image-based statistical analysis. Via a multiple linear regression, median grey values of the experiments allow insights into the deinking mechanism of PCW flakes. Depending on the surfactant and deinking parameters, either the hydrolysis of the binding agent by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or the surfactant-based decrease of interfacial energy on the printed surface proved dominant for the overall deinking mechanism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Polymer: Recycling and Valorization)
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Review

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24 pages, 13031 KB  
Review
Recent Advances in the Chemical Recycling of Polyurethane Foam from End-of-Life Vehicles: A Review
by Aleksi Modebadze and Vladimír Sedlařík
Polymers 2026, 18(18), 2224; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18182224 - 12 Sep 2026
Viewed by 377
Abstract
Flexible polyurethane (PU) foam is the main cushioning material in a modern vehicle interior, filling the seat cushions, headrests, headliners, and acoustic insulation, yet it is among the least recovered fractions of an end-of-life vehicle (ELV). The foam is a crosslinked thermoset and [...] Read more.
Flexible polyurethane (PU) foam is the main cushioning material in a modern vehicle interior, filling the seat cushions, headrests, headliners, and acoustic insulation, yet it is among the least recovered fractions of an end-of-life vehicle (ELV). The foam is a crosslinked thermoset and cannot be remelted; poor separation and sorting, compounded by contamination during dismantling and shredding, leave incineration or landfill as the most probable outcome. Two recovery routes are established: mechanical recycling, which reuses the foam in ground or rebonded form, and chemical recycling, which cleaves the urethane linkage to recover the polyol. Most recovery advances have been demonstrated on mattress and industrial scrap foam rather than on automotive foam itself, though studies on genuine automotive foam are beginning to emerge, and glycolysis and acidolysis stand out among the chemical routes as the most promising for this feedstock. This review therefore surveys recent advances in PU foam recycling with a focus on automotive foam and, because direct studies on this feedstock remain few, also assesses how far the wider recycling literature applies to it. Recovered-polyol quality, achievable blend ratios, industrial implementations, and the European regulatory framework are examined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Polymer: Recycling and Valorization)
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