Recent Advances in Sustainable Polymer Manufacturing Processes

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer materials are widely used, and have become essential in our daily lives. Most are made of synthetic polymers, and the majority of them end up in landfills and oceans. The processes of polymer manufacturing consume natural resources. They may also produce toxic by-products and have detrimental effects on the environment. To reduce and even revert the industry’s worst impacts on the environment, sustainability must be a central consideration in a new era of polymer manufacturing processes. Examples of such innovations include (1) the design of sustainable polymer formulations using biodegradable or compostable polymers, environmentally friendly chemicals, and by-products; (2) the incorporation of recycled postconsumer plastics into new material production; and (3) polymer degradation, by chemical or biological means, and conversion of the products to valuable chemical products. Life-cycle analysis provides insight into the resource consumption and environmental impact of such processes, while techno-economic analysis focuses on their economic feasibility. The coordinated effects of all these efforts are required to build a new polymer industry with minimal pollution and preserve the environment for future generations.

This Special Issue seeks high-quality contributions in sustainable polymer manufacturing processes. We welcome the submission of studies highlighting the recent advances in the above-mentioned areas, including both experiments and modelling work. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Formulation and process design for sustainable polymer materials, including biodegradable and biocompatible plastics.
• Process innovation in polymer recycling and upcycling.
• Life-cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of sustainable polymer manufacturing processes.
• Modelling of the circular plastics economy.

Sustainable and/or green design and development of plastics manufacturing processes.

Dr. Li Xi
Dr. Roozbeh Mafi
Dr. Jumiati Wu
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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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.

• sustainable polymers
• green manufacturing
• process modelling
• life cycle analysis (LCA)
• techno-economic analysis (TEA)
• circular economy
• bioplastics
• plastics recycling and upcycling