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Recent Studies and Technologies in the Separation of Polyvinyl Chloride for Resources Recycling: A Systematic Review
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This systematic review summarizes research on technologies for separating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from other plastics for recycling. Better PVC recycling is important for reducing microplastic pollution because PVC is one of the most common and problematic plastics, and when it breaks down it can release harmful chemical additives into the environment and our bodies.
Material recycling and thermal treatment are the two most common recycling methods employed for plastic waste management. Thermal treatment for energy recovery is more widely applied compared with material recycling because the latter requires a high efficiency of separation and a high purity of products. Unfortunately, certain plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are unsuitable for thermal treatment because they contain additives like chloride (Cl−) that have adverse effects on refractory materials used in boilers. As a result of this, mixed plastic wastes containing PVC generally end up in landfills. PVC-bearing mixed plastics, however, remain valuable resources as championed by the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs): Goal 12 “Responsible production and consumption”, and their recycling after the removal of PVC is important. In this paper, recent studies (2012–2021) related to the separation of PVC from other types of plastics were systematically reviewed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 66 articles were selected, reviewed, and summarized. The results showed that various separation technologies conventionally applied to mineral processing—selective comminution, gravity separation, magnetic separation, electrical separation, and flotation—have been studied for PVC separation, and the majority of these works (>60%) focused on flotation. In addition, more advanced technologies including sorting and density-surface-based separation were introduced between 2019 and 2021.
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Risks Associated with the Presence of PVC in the Environment and Methods of Its Elimination
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This review summarized the environmental risks posed by polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, including the release of toxic additives and microplastic formation during degradation, and assessed current methods for its elimination from the environment.
Risks Associated with the Presence of Polyvinyl Chloride in the Environment and Methods for Its Disposal and Utilization
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This review examines the environmental and health risks of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one of the most common plastics. As PVC breaks down into microplastics, it contaminates soil, water, and even drinking water, entering the food chain and exposing humans to harmful effects. The paper surveys methods being developed to clean up and remove PVC microplastics from the environment.
Beyond the Landfill: A critical review of techniques for End-of-Life Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) valorization
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PVC (the plastic used in pipes, medical devices, and cables) is hard to recycle because of its chemical makeup, and when it mixes with other plastics in waste streams, it can mess up the recycling process for everything else. This review pulls together existing research on ways to reuse or safely dispose of PVC waste, concluding that better collection and sorting systems, paired with the right recycling technology, are needed to keep it out of landfills and incinerators. Getting this right matters for reducing the toxic byproducts and plastic pollution that can end up in our environment, water, and eventually our bodies.
Recent advances in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling
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"This review examines conventional and emerging recycling technologies for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), including mechanical, thermal, chemical, plasma-assisted, and solvent-based methods, with particular attention to the European regulatory context shaped by the Circular Economy Action Plan. Researchers identify persistent challenges such as low recycling yields and high energy consumption while highlighting the significant greenhouse gas savings and economic benefits that effective PVC recycling can deliver."
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), its additives, microplastic and human health: Unresolved and emerging issues
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This paper examines PVC (polyvinyl chloride), one of the most commonly used plastics in Europe, and highlights that it fragments into microplastics more easily than other plastics and requires large amounts of potentially toxic chemical additives. The European Commission has recognized PVC's wide-ranging health and environmental problems, and the authors argue that human exposure to PVC microplastics and their chemical additives remains a serious unresolved public health concern.
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