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Release Assessment Methodology for Safe, Sustainable, and Recyclable By-Design Practices for Plastics: The Epoxy-Resin Composite Case Study
Summary
A Safe and Sustainable by Design methodology was applied to develop an epoxy-vitrimer composite with integrated non-releasable flame retardants, demonstrating reduced release of microplastics and chemicals under weathering and abrasion compared to conventional materials. This framework provides a replicable model for designing inherently safer plastics that minimize microplastic release throughout their lifecycle, directly addressing a key source of environmental contamination.
The development of new materials that are inherently safe and sustainable has become a critical objective in the context of the green transition. This challenge is especially significant for plastics, which often contain complex mixtures of chemicals that may be released during various stages of their life cycle and that can pose risks to human health and the environment. Within this context, the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework was followed to support the design of an innovative epoxy-vitrimer composite that integrates non-releasable fire-retardant functionalities, aiming to produce safer, sustainable, and recyclable materials suitable for railway applications. A simple methodology was developed to identify release hotspots potentially affecting workers, consumers, and environmental species and organisms. Based on this, experimental simulations were conducted to evaluate the release of materials such as flame retardants, non-intentionally added substances, and microplastics at hotspots and to compare release profiles between a benchmark material and an SSbD alternative. The results demonstrate that the newly developed recyclable and less hazardous composites can also reduce material release under weathering and abrasion conditions.