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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to A mini-review on expanded polystyrene waste recycling and its applications
ClearNovel and Accessible Physical Recycling for Expanded Polystyrene Waste with the Use of Acetone as a Solvent and Additive Manufacturing (Direct Ink-Write 3D Printing)
Researchers developed a low-cost method to recycle expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste by dissolving it in acetone and reforming it, offering an accessible alternative to conventional recycling. Keeping polystyrene out of landfills and the environment is relevant to microplastic reduction, since EPS readily breaks down into persistent polystyrene microparticles.
EPS waste management from coastal cleaning actions: identification of contamination sources, collection, treatment, and re-use in cement-based materials
This study developed an integrated approach for managing expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste from coastal cleanup activities, including collection, treatment, and incorporation into cement-based building materials. Reusing EPS waste from beaches reduces the amount of plastic that breaks down into microplastics in marine environments.
Expandable polystyrene production and market survey- A review
This review examines the production processes and global market for expandable polystyrene (EPS), describing the two main manufacturing approaches — batch processing and the impregnation method — used to produce pre-expanded PS beads. The paper surveys EPS applications in packaging, construction, and insulation and presents data on worldwide polystyrene consumption and market trends.
Upcycling Polystyrene
This review surveys promising approaches for upcycling polystyrene waste, covering both mechanical and thermochemical recycling routes developed over the past five years. Researchers found that no single technology is fully effective on its own, but hybrid approaches combining multiple methods show the highest potential for creating a circular economy for polystyrene. The study also explores connections to emerging technologies including 3D printing, vertical farming, and green hydrogen production.
Application of Different Chemical Recycling for Plastics
This review examines chemical recycling methods for plastic waste as alternatives to mechanical recycling, focusing on depolymerization via solvolysis, pyrolysis, and purification processes applicable to PET, polyurethane, and polystyrene. The authors discuss how these approaches convert polymer waste back into feedstock monomers that can be repolymerized, addressing value degradation and sorting limitations inherent to mechanical recycling.
Performance Characterization and Evaluation of Innovative Cement Mortars and Concretes Made with Recycled EPS
Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates the mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance of cement mortars and concretes that incorporate recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads as aggregate, focused on construction materials.
On technological solutions for recycling of recycling of polymer waste: A review
This paper is not directly about microplastics; it reviews technological approaches to recycling polymer waste — mechanical, chemical, and energy-based methods — and analyzes their economic and environmental trade-offs. Better plastic recycling technology is relevant to microplastic prevention insofar as it reduces the amount of plastic that degrades into environmental microplastic particles.
Polymer‐Based Recycling Strategies for Plastic Waste: A Comprehensive Review
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.
Preparation and application of a polyethylene foam packaging material
This review examines the preparation, modification, and application of polyethylene foam as a packaging material, discussing its lightweight, insulating, and shock-absorbing properties alongside the environmental and recycling challenges its widespread use creates. The authors propose approaches to address sustainability concerns while maintaining the performance characteristics that make polyethylene foam central to the modern packaging industry.
Plastics Recycling
This review examines the full landscape of plastic recycling, covering mechanical and chemical recycling processes for major resin types including PE, HDPE, LDPE, PET, polyurethanes, polystyrene, and polypropylene, alongside chemical upcycling of waste plastics into higher-value products. The chapter also addresses the environmental and economic benefits of recycling, plastic resin labelling systems, and the persistent challenges limiting recycling rates globally.
Iced block method: An efficient method for preparation of micro-sized expanded polystyrene foams
Researchers developed a new method for producing micro-sized expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam particles in the lab, enabling better-controlled experiments on EPS microplastic toxicity and environmental behavior. EPS foam is widely found in the environment but has been understudied compared to other microplastic types.
Current Advances and Challenges in Chemical Recycling of Polymeric Materials
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.
Upcycling of waste plastics: strategies, status-quo, and prospects
This review examines strategies for upcycling waste plastics into valuable products as an alternative to landfilling and incineration, which generate microplastics and carbon emissions respectively. Researchers survey chemical recycling methods including pyrolysis, gasification, and catalytic processes that can convert common plastics like PET, polyethylene, and polystyrene into fuels, chemicals, and new materials. The study highlights the urgent need for more effective recycling technologies to address the growing gap between plastic production and waste management capacity.
An evaluation model to predict microplastics generation from polystyrene foams and experimental verification
Researchers developed a simulation model that predicts when aged polystyrene foams will generate microplastics by linking plastic aging with mechanical failure over time, offering a tool to guide timely recycling before microplastic release occurs.
Environmental implications of styrofoam waste and its utilization as lightweight fill material for embankment construction
Researchers investigated the environmental problems caused by styrofoam waste and explored whether it could be repurposed as a lightweight fill material for construction embankments. They found that incorporating styrofoam into embankment construction improved structural performance while diverting waste from landfills. The study suggests that reusing styrofoam in civil engineering could help address both waste management and construction challenges.
Morpho-structural and thermo-mechanical characterization of recycled polypropylene and polystyrene from mixed post-consumer plastic waste
Researchers characterized recycled polypropylene and polystyrene recovered from mixed post-consumer plastic waste, assessing their morphological, structural, and thermo-mechanical properties to evaluate suitability for reuse in manufacturing.
Beyond Mechanical Recycling: Giving New Life to Plastic Waste
This review examines chemical recycling processes — including pyrolysis, solvolysis, and gasification — as alternatives to mechanical recycling for plastic waste, comparing their technical readiness, environmental performance via life-cycle analysis, and commercial development status.
Cпособи переробки полімерних відходів
This review analyzes existing methods for polymer waste management including landfill disposal, incineration, mechanical recycling, and chemical recycling, evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each approach across different global contexts and highlighting incineration's energy recovery potential alongside its greenhouse gas emission drawbacks.
Polymers Recycling: Upcycling Techniques. an Overview
This paper is not about microplastics in a research sense; it is an overview of polymer recycling and upcycling techniques, mentioning microplastic accumulation briefly as motivation but not investigating microplastics directly.
ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ НИЗЬКОТЕМПЕРАТУРНОГО КАТАЛІТИЧНОГО КРЕКІНГУ ПОЛІСТИРОЛУ ЗА АТМОСФЕРНОГО ТИСКУ
Researchers reviewed low-temperature catalytic cracking of polystyrene at atmospheric pressure as a chemical recycling strategy, emphasizing how it avoids toxic emissions and produces liquid oils and fuel additives. The approach is presented as more energy-efficient than mechanical or thermal recycling methods.