Polymers for Environmental Applications
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Sustainable Polymer Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 3735
Special Issue Editors
Interests: polymer engineering; polymers and plastics; macromolecular chemistry; polymer composites; polyblends and polymer alloys; interphases; environmental polymer science and technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: polymer engineering; polymers and plastics; macromolecular chemistry; polymer composites; polyblends and polymer alloys; interphases; environmental polymer science and technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the early 1980s, the first global environmental crisis took place, with an emphasis on the role played by the presence of plastics in the huge solid waste streams of big cities. It was clear then (as it is now) that the best environmental management practices require solid scientific and technical knowledge (most often under technical standards). Thus, these plastics, once at the end of their useful life, now have their materials (polymers and additives) coalesced into a circular economy strategy conjugated with the non-steady scenarios of other key sectors of the economy, industry, society, and policy. Thus, a twofold perspective—applied and academic—to link tandem polymers and the environment has led, forty years later, to a wide polymer research field devoted to the continuous improvement of the environmental performance of polymers and polymer-based materials. This strategy comprises all steps in the polymer management chain, from the raw materials to the polymers themselves, many of which come from classical and/or renewable sources (so-called bioplastics). There is thus a need to improve the processability, ultimate properties, and performance through environment-friendly additives; the recyclability of the materials; and innovative processes that will allow for better mechanical and/or energy recovery, including chemical recycling. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes all works related to this critical polymer R&D area.
Dr. Jesús-María García-Martínez
Dr. Emilia P. Collar
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 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-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
- plastics and circular economy
- bioplastics
- biocomposites
- ecofriendly blends
- additives and plastics performance
- ecofriendly additives
- plastic wastes and recycling
- plastic wastes valorization routes
- life-cycle assessment (LCA)
- standardization and legal frameworks
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Related Special Issues
- Polymers and the Environment in Polymers (11 articles)
- Polymers and the Environment II in Polymers (8 articles)
