Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.0
4.7
Journals
Polymers
Special Issues
Advances in Recycling of Polymers, 2nd Edition
polymers-logo
Submit to Polymers Review for Polymers Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Recycling of Polymers, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 3656

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Youliang Cheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Printing, Packaging Engineering and Digital Media Technology, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, China
Interests: waste polymers; recycling; functional materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Converting waste polymers into high-value products has become a prevalent issue, which is significant for economic and environmental protection. The recycling and reusing of waste polymers involves physics, chemistry, engineering, etc.

At the same time, recycling and reprocessing costs should be considered, and pollutants should be avoided in the preparation process. Therefore, low-cost and green methods for converting waste polymers must be further developed, and more applications should be explored.

This Special Issue provides a channel to exchange and share novel ideas and recent research for recycling waste polymers.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • Recycling of waste polymers by new approaches;
  • Reuse of waste polymers;
  • Conversion of waste materials into advanced multifunctional materials;
  • Design new composite materials using waste polymers as fillers;
  • Assessment of present recycling of waste polymers.

Dr. Youliang Cheng
Guest Editor

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

  • waste polymers
  • structural characterization and modification
  • green chemistry
  • recycling
  • functional materials

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 2189 KiB  
Article
Overlooked Impact of Moisture on the Stability of Printing Ink and Its Impact on Recycled Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Quality
by Jinyang Guo, Willi Wagner, Iryna Atamaniuk, Zhi Kai Chong, Ayah Alassali and Kerstin Kuchta
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3234; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233234 - 21 Nov 2024
Viewed by 459
Abstract
Printing inks, composed of binders, pigments, and additives, are essential components in plastic packaging but complicate recycling due to plastic contamination and degradation. While polyolefins are resistant to hydrolytic degradation, moisture generated from upstream cleaning processes, which is often ignored, can accelerate the [...] Read more.
Printing inks, composed of binders, pigments, and additives, are essential components in plastic packaging but complicate recycling due to plastic contamination and degradation. While polyolefins are resistant to hydrolytic degradation, moisture generated from upstream cleaning processes, which is often ignored, can accelerate the degradation of ink binders, affecting the recyclate quality. This study has examined the impact of 3 wt.% moisture, introduced before extrusion, on the degradation of nitrocellulose (NC), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), and cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) binders mixed with virgin, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at varying concentrations to simulate contamination levels. Control samples were prepared by extrusion under dry conditions and using p-xylene to compare with degradation-free conditions. Analyses, including the measurement of the melt–flow index (MFI), tensile testing, FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), TGA (thermogravimetry analysis), and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) have established that NC is fully degraded, causing discoloration and altering the MFI. Moreover, PU degrades mainly in the presence of moisture, contrary to previous findings. In contrast, PVB does not degrade but exhibits modified mechanical properties; whereas, CAP shows minimal impact. The findings of this research demonstrate the critical role of moisture in determining recyclability, informing strategies for ink selection and recycling processes to facilitate plastic packaging circularity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Recycling of Polymers, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

36 pages, 3288 KiB  
Review
Evaluation of the Viability of 3D Printing in Recycling Polymers
by Chrysanthos Maraveas, Ioannis Vasileios Kyrtopoulos and Konstantinos G. Arvanitis
Polymers 2024, 16(8), 1104; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16081104 - 16 Apr 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
The increased use of plastics in industrial and agricultural applications has led to high levels of pollution worldwide and is a significant challenge. To address this plastic pollution, conventional methods such as landfills and incineration are used, leading to further challenges such as [...] Read more.
The increased use of plastics in industrial and agricultural applications has led to high levels of pollution worldwide and is a significant challenge. To address this plastic pollution, conventional methods such as landfills and incineration are used, leading to further challenges such as the generation of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, increasing interest has been directed to identifying alternative methods to dispose of plastic waste from agriculture. The novelty of the current research arose from the lack of critical reviews on how 3-Dimensional (3D) printing was adopted for recycling plastics, its application in the production of agricultural plastics, and its specific benefits, disadvantages, and limitations in recycling plastics. The review paper offers novel insights regarding the application of 3D printing methods including Fused Particle Fabrication (FPF), Hot Melt Extrusion (HME), and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) to make filaments from plastics. However, the methods were adopted in local recycling setups where only small quantities of the raw materials were considered. Data was collected using a systematic review involving 39 studies. Findings showed that the application of the 3D printing methods led to the generation of agricultural plastics such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which were found to have properties comparable to those of virgin plastic, suggesting the viability of 3D printing in managing plastic pollution. However, limitations were also associated with the 3D printing methods; 3D-printed plastics deteriorated rapidly under Ultraviolet (UV) light and are non-biodegradable, posing further risks of plastic pollution. However, UV stabilization helps reduce plastic deterioration, thus increasing longevity and reducing disposal. Future directions emphasize identifying methods to reduce the deterioration of 3D-printed agricultural plastics and increasing their longevity in addition to UV stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Recycling of Polymers, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop