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Recycling of End-of-Life Trawling Nets in Vietnam Towards Sustainable Circular Economy Applications
Summary
Researchers in Vietnam recycled end-of-life trawling nets made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) into granulates and tested their mechanical properties against virgin material, finding that a 1:1 blend of recycled and virgin granulates nearly matched virgin performance with yield stress of 21.50 MPa versus 21.59 MPa. The recycled material also proved suitable for 3D printing filament production, demonstrating a viable circular economy pathway for marine plastic waste.
Abstract Plastic waste from end-of-life (EOL) fishing nets is a significant contributor to marine pollution. Recycling these nets has attracted increasing attention, particularly in coastal countries such as Vietnam. However, recycled materials often exhibit reduced properties compared to virgin materials due to degradation. Blending recycled and virgin polymers provides a simple solution to obtain materials with properties close to virgin ones, thereby reducing the demand for natural resource extraction. In this study, EOL trawling nets were collected, cleaned, shredded, and extruded into recycled granulates (RGs), which were compared with virgin granulates (VGs) and a 1:1 blend (R-VGs). Characterization was performed using FTIR, DSC, MFI, and tensile testing. Results confirm that the nets are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). RGs showed slightly lower yield stress (20.94 MPa) than VGs (21.59 MPa), while R-VGs reached 21.50 MPa, closely matching virgin properties. The mechanical performance of RGs was sufficient for filament production in 3D printing, demonstrating a feasible approach toward sustainable circular economy applications.