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Revisiting poly(vinyl chloride) reactivity in the context of chemical recycling
Summary
This review explores the many chemical reactions that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can undergo, viewed through the lens of chemical recycling potential. Researchers found that PVC's well-documented reactivity in modification chemistry could inspire new methods for converting PVC waste into useful products. The study suggests that building on existing knowledge of PVC chemistry may help overcome the major challenge of recycling one of the world's most widely used yet least recycled plastics.
Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is one of the highest production volume polymers due to its many applications, and it is one of the least recycled due to its chemical structure and frequent formulation with additives. Developing efficient PVC recycling techniques would enable PVC waste to be reused or repurposed in other processes. Within this context, the literature on PVC modification offers considerable insight into versatile reaction pathways, potentially inspiring new approaches for repurposing PVC waste into value-added products. This perspective provides an overview of PVC functionalization through a lens of chemical recycling, discussing various PVC reactivity trends and their applications with a critical assessment and future outlook of their recycling implications.