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Polymers
Special Issues
Polymer Waste Recycling and Management
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Polymer Waste Recycling and Management

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 23104

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Cristina Cazan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Product Design and Environment Faculty, Product Design, Mechatronics and Environment Department, Transilvania University of Brasov, Brasov, Romania
Interests: waste management; polymeric waste; solid waste processing; ecological recycling technology; bioenergy-biomass; life-cycle assessment; composite materials; materials synthesis and processing; materials characterization; surface and interface science; biotechnology; sustainable technology development; environmental assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Solid waste treatment is a significant problem nowadays. Millions of solid waste are produced worldwide per year. They are often trashed to landfills but this is both an ecologically and economically unacceptable way. A sustainable alternative is the use of wastes as secondary materials for the manufacture of different types of products. Special emphasis is placed on the recycling of polymeric waste and on the way of their management respecting the principle of waste hierarchy: minimization/prevention, collection, separation, identification, recovery by recycling, biological recovery, energy recovery by incineration and storage in ecological landfills.

The aim of this Special Issue is to publish original articles, critical reviews, research notes, analyses and case studies on topics and short communications relating to innovation processes, waste management and methodologies concerning reutilization and recycling of polymeric wastes.

Subject Areas:

  • innovation processes, tools and methodologies for polymeric wastes recycling across the industry (such as paper, wood, plastic, elastomers, PV modules …)
  • strategies and processes for the recovery, the recycling and the reuse of polymer-based materials;
  • design and processing of recyclable polymer blends and composites;
  • synthesis and characterization of intrinsically recyclable polymer-based materials;
  • circular economy
  • life cycle assessment and management of resources, materials and products to improve resource efficiency and productivity, conserve resources and reduce
  • societal, economic and technological change for improved recovery and reuse of materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3100 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Carbon Fibre from Waste Prepreg via Microwave Pyrolysis
by Siqi Hao, Lizhe He, Jiaqi Liu, Yuhao Liu, Chris Rudd and Xiaoling Liu
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1231; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081231 - 10 Apr 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4512
Abstract
Management of waste from carbon fibre composites has become a significant societal issue as the application of composite grows across many industries. In this study, carbon fibres (CF) were successfully recovered from cured carbon fibre/epoxy (CF/EP) prepreg under microwave pyrolysis at 450, 550 [...] Read more.
Management of waste from carbon fibre composites has become a significant societal issue as the application of composite grows across many industries. In this study, carbon fibres (CF) were successfully recovered from cured carbon fibre/epoxy (CF/EP) prepreg under microwave pyrolysis at 450, 550 and 650 °C followed by oxidation of any residual char. The recovered fibres were investigated for their tensile properties, surface morphologies and the elements/functional groups presented on the surface. The chemical compositions of gaseous and oil pyrolysis products were also analysed. The microwave pyrolysis effectively pyrolyzed the epoxy (EP) resin. Char residue remained on the fibre surface and the amount of char reduced as the pyrolysis temperature increased. Compared to virgin fibres, the recovered fibre suffered from a strength reduction by less than 20%, and this reduction could be mitigated by reducing the pyrolysis temperature. The surface of recovered fibre remained clean and smooth, while the profile of elements and functional groups at the surface were similar to those of virgin fibres. The main gaseous products were CO, H2, CO2 and CH4, whilst the liquid product stream included phenolic and aromatic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Waste Recycling and Management)
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49 pages, 17600 KiB  
Article
Processability of Different Polymer Fractions Recovered from Mixed Wastes and Determination of Material Properties for Recycling
by Selina Möllnitz, Michael Feuchter, Ivica Duretek, Gerald Schmidt, Roland Pomberger and Renato Sarc
Polymers 2021, 13(3), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030457 - 31 Jan 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3335
Abstract
To achieve future recycling targets and CO2 and waste reduction, the transfer of plastic contained in mixed waste from thermal recovery to mechanical recycling is a promising option. This requires extensive knowledge of the necessary processing depth of mixed wastes to enrich [...] Read more.
To achieve future recycling targets and CO2 and waste reduction, the transfer of plastic contained in mixed waste from thermal recovery to mechanical recycling is a promising option. This requires extensive knowledge of the necessary processing depth of mixed wastes to enrich plastics and their processability in polymer processing machines. Also, the selection of a suitable processing method and product application area requires appropriate material behaviour. This paper investigates these aspects for a commercial processed, mixed waste, and two different mixed polyolefin fractions. The wastes are processed at different depths (e.g., washed/not washed, sorted into polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene/unsorted) and then either homogenised in the extruder in advance or processed heterogeneously in the compression moulding process into plates. The produced recyclates in plate form are then subjected to mechanical, thermal, and rheological characterisation. Most investigated materials could be processed with simple compression moulding. The results show that an upstream washing process improves the achievable material properties, but homogenisation does not necessarily lead to an improvement. It was also found that a higher treatment depth (recovery of plastic types) is not necessary. The investigations show that plastic waste recovery with simple treatment from mixed, contaminated wastes into at least downcycling products is possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Waste Recycling and Management)
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18 pages, 11121 KiB  
Article
Is it Possible to Mechanical Recycle the Materials of the Disposable Filtering Masks?
by Daniele Battegazzore, Fulvia Cravero and Alberto Frache
Polymers 2020, 12(11), 2726; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12112726 - 17 Nov 2020
Cited by 57 | Viewed by 10902
Abstract
In a singular period, such as during a pandemic, the use of personal protective masks can become mandatory for all citizens in many places worldwide. The most used device is the disposable mask that, inevitably, generates a substantial waste flow to send to [...] Read more.
In a singular period, such as during a pandemic, the use of personal protective masks can become mandatory for all citizens in many places worldwide. The most used device is the disposable mask that, inevitably, generates a substantial waste flow to send to incineration or landfill. The article examines the most diffused type of disposable face mask and identifies the characteristic of the constituent materials through morphological, chemical, physical, and thermal analyses. Based on these investigations, a mechanical recycling protocol with different approaches is proposed. Advantages and disadvantages of the different recycling solutions are discussed with considerations on necessary separation processes and other treatments. The four solutions investigated lead to a recycling index from 78 to 91% of the starting disposable mask weight. The rheological, mechanical, and thermo-mechanical properties of the final materials obtained from the different recycling approaches are compared with each other and with solutions present on the market resulting in materials potentially industrially exploitable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Waste Recycling and Management)
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16 pages, 1468 KiB  
Article
Analysis and Economic Evaluation of the Use of Recycled Polyamide Powder in Masonry Mortars
by Miguel A. Salas, Heriberto Pérez-Acebo, Verónica Calderón and Hernán Gonzalo-Orden
Polymers 2020, 12(11), 2657; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12112657 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1845
Abstract
Due to the considerable amount of waste plastics and polymers that are produced annually, the introduction of these waste products in construction materials is becoming a recurrent solution to recycle them. Among polymers, polyamide represents an important proportion of polymer waste. In this [...] Read more.
Due to the considerable amount of waste plastics and polymers that are produced annually, the introduction of these waste products in construction materials is becoming a recurrent solution to recycle them. Among polymers, polyamide represents an important proportion of polymer waste. In this study, sustainable and lightweight mortars were designed and elaborated, substituting the aggregates by polyamide powder waste. Mortars were produced with various dosages of cement/aggregates, and the polyamide substitutions were 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the aggregates. The aim of this paper is to determine the density and the compressive strength of the manufactured mortars to observe the feasibility for being employed as masonry or rendering and plastering mortars. Results showed that with increasing polymer substitution, lower densities were achieved, ranging from 1850 to 790 kg/m3 in modified mortars. Mortars with densities below 1300 kg/m3 are cataloged as lightweight mortars. Furthermore, compressive strength also decreased with more polyamide substitution. Obtained values in recycled mortars were between 15.77 and 2.10 MPa, but the majority of the values (eight out of 12) were over 5 MPa. Additionally, an economic evaluation was performed, and it was observed that the use of waste polyamide implies an important cost reduction, apart from the advantage of not having to manage this waste material. Consequently, not only the mechanical properties of the new recycled materials were verified as well as its economic viability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Waste Recycling and Management)
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