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Mechanical Recycling of Thermoplastics: A Review of Key Issues
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This review covers the key steps and challenges in mechanical recycling of thermoplastics, the most widely used industrial recycling method. Researchers discuss sorting technologies, decontamination processes, and how different types of plastics degrade during recycling. The study highlights strategies for improving the quality of recycled commodity plastics, engineering polymers, and bio-sourced materials to support the transition toward a circular economy.
During the last decade, the consumption of plastics has increased highly in parallel with plastic waste. The transition towards a circular economy is the only way to prevent the environment from landfilling and incineration. This review details the recycling techniques with a focus on mechanical recycling of polymers, which is the most known and developed technique in industries. The different steps of mechanical recycling have been highlighted, starting from sorting technologies to the different decontamination processes. This paper covers degradation mechanisms and ways to improve commodity polymers (Polyolefins), engineering polymers (PET, PA6), and bio-sourced polymers (PLA and PHB).
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Polymer‐Based Recycling Strategies for Plastic Waste: A Comprehensive Review
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This comprehensive review evaluates mechanical and chemical recycling strategies for plastic waste, noting that mechanical recycling is widely used but limited by polymer degradation, while chemical recycling offers higher quality recovery but at greater energy and financial cost. The study highlights emerging technologies including AI-assisted sorting, nanotechnology, and biodegradable polymer development as promising approaches for building a more circular plastics economy.
Mechanical Recycling of Plastics
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This report reviewed current mechanical recycling technologies for plastics, examining efficiency, quality limitations, and prospects for increasing recycling rates to reduce the amount of plastic entering the environment as litter and microplastics.
Plastic recycling: Challenges and opportunities
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This review surveys mechanical, chemical, and energy recovery methods for plastic waste recycling, examining challenges such as polymer degradation across cycles, the role of fillers, and advanced chemical techniques like pyrolysis and gasification. It provides practical guidance on the current state and future directions of plastic recycling across major polymer types including PET, HDPE, PP, and PS.
Current Advances and Challenges in Chemical Recycling of Polymeric Materials
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This review examines current advances and remaining challenges in chemical recycling of polymeric materials as an alternative to mechanical recycling, which degrades material properties with repeated cycling. The authors discuss the high efficiency and simpler preprocessing requirements of chemical recycling methods against a backdrop of approximately 150 million metric tonnes of annual global plastic waste generation.
Environmental impacts of post-consumer plastic wastes: Treatment technologies towards eco-sustainability and circular economy.
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This review covers treatment technologies for managing post-consumer plastic waste and reducing its environmental impact. Researchers compared mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery methods, assessing their technical feasibility, cost, and environmental outcomes. The review concludes that a combination of approaches is needed and that improving collection and sorting infrastructure is a prerequisite for any effective solution.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.