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Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2019) | Viewed by 37880

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maurizio Avella

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Guest Editor

National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), Via Campi Flegrei, 34 - 80078 Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
Interests: natural fiber reinforced composites; multifunctional nanostructured materials; recycling of thermoplastic and thermosetting based polymeric materials; biodegradable foams reinforced with micro and nanocellulose; control and optimization of the interface in polymer-based micro and nano-composites; evaluation and mitigation of the environmental impact of microplastics

Dr. Maria Emanuela Errico

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Guest Editor

National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Polymers Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
Interests: polymer based micro and nano-structured materials; structure/properties correlation of multicomponent polymer based materials; biodegradable and/or biocompatible polymer based materials: control and optimization of the interface in multicomponent polymer based materials; recycling of thermoplastic and thermosetting based polymeric materials; solid state NMR

Dr. Gennaro Gentile

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Guest Editor

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), Via Campi Flegrei, 34 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
Interests: multiphase polymer systems; smart materials; morphological and structural characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The wide use of polymers and polymer-based materials in several applications is meeting the ever-growing needs of consumers and the commercial expectations of producers; but, at the same time, it is generating serious problems related to the disposal of plastic items at the end of their lives. Indeed, in countries with an advanced economy, a significant part of municipal solid waste consists of polymeric materials, most of them derived from their use in the packaging sector. Therefore, the proper management of post-consumer plastics represents a fundamental societal challenge. In this framework, the need to find alternative processes and technologies aimed at developing low-impact end-of-life solutions for polymeric materials has become increasingly stringent. To this aim, plastic recycling still represents one of the most efficient end of life option for polymer-based materials. In fact, recycling allows reducing the use of resources and recovering the value of plastic waste. The aim of this Special Issue is to presents a focused collection of original research and reviews on technical solutions able to improve the end-of-life sustainability of polymer-based materials.

Selected example topics include:

strategies and processes for the recovery, the recycling and the reuse of polymer-based materials;
design and processing of recyclable polymer blends and composites;
synthesis and characterization of intrinsically recyclable polymer-based materials;
challenges and opportunities of post-consumer plastic recycling;
life cycle and social life cycle assessment of recycling processes of polymer-based materials.

Dr. Maurizio Avella
Dr. Maria Emanuela Errico
Dr. Gennaro Gentile
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

polymers
recycling
end of life sustainability
post-consume polymer waste

Related Special Issue

Biodegradable Plastics and Recycling in Polymers (2 articles)

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dimensional Stability and Process Capability of an Industrial Component Injected with Recycled Polypropylene

by José Eduardo Galve, Daniel Elduque, Carmelo Pina, Isabel Clavería, Raquel Acero, Ángel Fernández and Carlos Javierre

Polymers 2019, 11(6), 1063; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11061063 - 20 Jun 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3816

Abstract

The usage of recycled polymers for industrial purposes arises as one of the most promising methods of reducing environmental impact and costs associated with scrapping parts. This paper presents a systematic study of the dimensional stability of a raw and 100% recycled polypropylene subjected to realistic environmental conditions occurring along its working life. The component studied is an internal part of an induction hob assembly. Industrial samples manufactured with both materials, in the same mold, and in the same injection machine, are subjected to ejection conditions, storage conditions (50 °C), and extreme performance conditions (80 °C). Induced dimensional changes are registered and analyzed using a coordinate measuring machine, and a tactile sensing probe. To verify the process capability of the samples manufacturing, C_p and C_pk values are calculated to evaluate the suitability of the recycled material as an alternative. Results conclude that, although the use of recycled material implies slight differences in terms of dimensional stability due to the changes induced in the polymer structure, these differences are not significant enough to affect the injection process capability. Therefore, recycling arises as one effective method to reduce both overruns associated with the consumption of raw polypropylene material and its environmental impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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12 pages, 2901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recycling Polyethylene-Rich Plastic Waste from Landfill Reclamation: Toward an Enhanced Landfill-Mining Approach

by Roberto Avolio, Francesco Spina, Gennaro Gentile, Mariacristina Cocca, Maurizio Avella, Cosimo Carfagna, Gianluigi Tealdo and Maria Emanuela Errico

Polymers 2019, 11(2), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11020208 - 26 Jan 2019

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 7956

Abstract

In the frame of a circular economy, the maximization of secondary raw-material recovery is necessary to increase the economic and environmental sustainability of landfill mining and reclamation activities. In this paper, the polyethylene-rich plastic fraction recovered from the reclamation of an abandoned industrial landfill (landfill-recovered plastic, LRP) has been characterized through spectroscopic, thermal, morphological, and mechanical analyses. Then, an economically viable valorization and recycling strategy was set up. The effectiveness of this strategy in the enhancement of LRP properties has been demonstrated through morphological and mechanical characterizations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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10 pages, 4596 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recyclable and Mendable Cellulose-Reinforced Composites Crosslinked with Diels–Alder Adducts

by KeumHwan Park, Cheolmin Shin, Ye-Seul Song, Hee-Jin Lee, Chiho Shin and Youngmin Kim

Polymers 2019, 11(1), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11010117 - 11 Jan 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3492

Abstract

Owing to their natural abundance and exceptional mechanical properties, cellulose fibers (CFs) have been used for reinforcing polymers. Despite these merits, dispersing hydrophilic CFs in a hydrophobic polymer matrix is challenging. To address this, an amphiphilic ammonium salt was employed as the dispersant for CFs in this study. The hydrophobic CFs were mixed with a healable polymer to produce CF-reinforced composites. As the thermosetting polymer was crosslinked with Diels–Alder (DA) adducts, it was mended and recycled via a retro DA reaction at 120 °C. Interestingly, the CF-reinforced polymer composites were mended and recycled as well. When 5 wt % of the hydrophobic CFs was added to the polymer, maximum tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus, and toughness increased by 70%, 183%, 75%, and 420%, respectively. After recycling, the CF-reinforced composites still featured better mechanical properties than recycled polymer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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14 pages, 4912 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization and Actuation of Ionic Polymer Metal Composites with Various Thicknesses and Lengths

by Shufeng Li and Joanne Yip

Polymers 2019, 11(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11010091 - 08 Jan 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3139

Abstract

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) with various thicknesses of 1, 2, 4, and 6 nafion films (denoted as 1-film, 2-film, 4-film and 6-film, respectively) are fabricated, and their characterization and actuation performances are then investigated. The effects of the thickness of the IPMCs on their morphology, surface resistance, and water uptake capability are studied. Their actuation performances are further evaluated by examining the tip force and displacement in terms of the length and the thickness of the IPMCs, under a direct current (DC) power of 3.0 or 4.5 V. In comparison with the 1-film, the 2-film shows a six-fold increase in the maximum tip force, but the response time increases from 2 to 9 s. The 4-film doubles the maximum tip force of the 2-film at 21 s. On the other hand, a reduction of the length of the IPMC from 30 to 15 mm also results in a double-maximum tip force, but this never increases the response time. Repeated actuations of the IPMCs with various thicknesses are performed by three actuation methods of no treatment, treatment in deionized water, and treatment in a NaCl solution. The relationships between the repeated actuation methods and actuations of the IPMCs with various thicknesses are also investigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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14 pages, 6166 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing of Sustainable Innovative Materials and Structures

by Rupinder Singh, Ranvijay Kumar, Ilenia Farina, Francesco Colangelo, Luciano Feo and Fernando Fraternali

Polymers 2019, 11(1), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11010062 - 04 Jan 2019

Cited by 120 | Viewed by 9634

Abstract

This paper highlights the multi-material additive manufacturing (AM) route for manufacturing of innovative materials and structures. Three different recycled thermoplastics, namely acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) (with different Young’s modulus, glass transition temperature, rheological properties), have been selected (as a case study) for multi-material AM. The functional prototypes have been printed on fused deposition modelling (FDM) setup as tensile specimens (as per ASTM D638 type-IV standard) with different combinations of top, middle, and bottom layers (of ABS/PLA/HIPS), at different printing speed and infill percentage density. The specimens were subjected to thermal (glass transition temperature and heat capacity) and mechanical testing (peak load, peak strength, peak elongation, percentage elongation at peak, and Young’s modulus) to ascertain their suitability in load-bearing structures, and the fabrication of functional prototypes of mechanical meta-materials. The results have been supported by photomicrographs to observe the microstructure of the analyzed multi-materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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Graphical abstract

12 pages, 13371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chiral Bifunctional Thioureas and Squaramides Grafted into Old Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity for Novel Applications

by María Valle, Laura Martín, Alicia Maestro, José M. Andrés and Rafael Pedrosa

Polymers 2019, 11(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11010013 - 21 Dec 2018

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4210

Abstract

We have prepared different polymeric chiral bifunctional thioureas and squaramides by modification of the very well-known polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM), specifically PIM-1 and PIM-CO-1, to be used as recoverable organocatalysts. The installation of the chiral structures into the polymers has been done in two or three steps in high yields. The catalytic activity of the resulting materials has been proved in the stereoselective nitro-Michael addition and in a cascade process, which allows the synthesis of enantioenriched 4H-chromene derivatives. Squaramide II and thiourea III have been used in six cycles maintaining their activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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13 pages, 2931 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The High Density Polyethylene Composite with Recycled Radiation Cross-Linked Filler of rHDPEx

by David Manas, Miroslav Manas, Ales Mizera, Pavel Stoklasek, Jan Navratil, Stanislav Sehnalek and Pavel Drabek

Polymers 2018, 10(12), 1361; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10121361 - 08 Dec 2018

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4590

Abstract

This article discusses the possibilities of using radiation cross-linked high density polyethylene (HDPEx) acting as a filler in the original high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix. The newly created composite is one of the possible answers to questions relating to the processing of radiation cross-linked thermoplastics. Radiation cross-linked networking is—nowadays, a commonly used technology that can significantly modify the properties of many types of thermoplastics. This paper describes the influence of the concentration of filler, in the form of grit or powder obtained by the grinding/milling of products/industrial waste from radiation cross-linked high density polyethylene (rHDPEx) on the mechanical and processing properties and the composite structure. It was determined that, by varying the concentration of the filler, it is possible to influence the mechanical behaviour of the composite. The mechanical properties of the new composite—measured at room temperature, are generally comparable or better than the same properties of the original thermoplastic. This creates very good assumptions for the effective and economically acceptable, processing of high density polyethylene (rHDPEx) waste. Its processability however, is limited; it can be processed by injection moulding up to 60 wt %. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Polymers and Multiphase Polymer-Based Systems)

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