Degradation and Recycling of Polymer Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2024 | Viewed by 2013

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Polymeri Materials Laboratory, Chemistry and Materials Program, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan
Interests: recycling; biodegradation; degradation and stabilization of plastics; green chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to suppress microplastic (MP) generation, it is necessary to elucidate the degradation mechanism of plastics, which is deeply involved in the MP generation mechanism, and to develop a new recycling process. In addition, it is necessary to focus on additives such as antioxidants and UV absorbers, which have been suggested to be toxic, and to understand their behavior during the degradation of plastics.

In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions of articles elucidating the plastic degradation mechanisms and developing new plastic recycling methods. In addition, we also encourage contributions studying the behavior not only of plastics, but also of the additives contained in them during degradation and recycling. 

Prof. Dr. Hisayuki Nakatani
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • microplastics
  • polymer degradation
  • polymer recycling
  • additives
  • antioxidants
  • UV absorbers

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2830 KiB  
Article
Differences in the Residual Behavior of a Bumetrizole-Type Ultraviolet Light Absorber during the Degradation of Various Polymers
by Hisayuki Nakatani, Taishi Uchiyama, Suguru Motokucho, Anh Thi Ngoc Dao, Hee-Jin Kim, Mitsuharu Yagi and Yusaku Kyozuka
Polymers 2024, 16(2), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16020293 - 21 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1190
Abstract
The alteration of an ultraviolet light absorber (UVA: UV-326) in polymers (PP, HDPE, LDPE, PLA, and PS) over time during degradation was studied using an enhanced degradation method (EDM) involving sulfate ion radicals in seawater. The EDM was employed to homogeneously degrade the [...] Read more.
The alteration of an ultraviolet light absorber (UVA: UV-326) in polymers (PP, HDPE, LDPE, PLA, and PS) over time during degradation was studied using an enhanced degradation method (EDM) involving sulfate ion radicals in seawater. The EDM was employed to homogeneously degrade the entire polymer samples containing the UVA. The PP and PS samples containing 5-phr (phr: per hundred resin) UVA films underwent rapid whitening, characterized by the formation of numerous grooves or crushed particles. Notably, the UVA loss rate in PS, with the higher glass transition temperature (Tg), was considerably slower. The behavior of crystalline polymers, with the exception of PS, was analogous in terms of the change in UVA loss rate over the course of degradation. The significant increase in the initial loss rate observed during EDM degradation was due to microplasticization. A similar increase in microplasticization rate occurred with PS; however, the intermolecular interaction between UVA and PS did not result in as pronounced an increase in loss rate as observed in other polymers. Importantly, the chemical structure of UVA remained unaltered during EDM degradation. These findings revealed that the primary cause of UVA loss was leaching from the polymer matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation and Recycling of Polymer Materials)
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Review

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19 pages, 3940 KiB  
Review
Depollution of Polymeric Leather Waste by Applying the Most Current Methods of Chromium Extraction
by Ana-Maria Nicoleta Codreanu (Manea), Daniela Simina Stefan, Lidia Kim and Mircea Stefan
Polymers 2024, 16(11), 1546; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16111546 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 487
Abstract
The leather industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world due to the large amounts of waste following raw hide processing but also due to the high content of chemical substances present in leather waste. The main problem with chromium-tanned [...] Read more.
The leather industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world due to the large amounts of waste following raw hide processing but also due to the high content of chemical substances present in leather waste. The main problem with chromium-tanned leather solid waste is related to the storage, due to the ability of chromium to leach into soil or water, and also owing to the high ability of trivalent chromium to oxidize to its toxic form, hexavalent chromium. The purpose of this article is to present the most current methods of chromium extraction from solid tanned leather waste in order to obtain non-polluting leather, which can constitute secondary raw material in new industrial processes. The extraction methods identified in the present study are based on acid/basic/enzymatic hydrolysis and substitution with the help of organic chelators (organic acids and organic acid salts). In addition, this study includes a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each identified extraction method. At the same time, this study also presents alternative chromium extraction methods based on the combination of conventional extraction methods and ultrasound-assisted extraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation and Recycling of Polymer Materials)
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