Complementary roles for mechanical and solvent-based recycling in low-carbon, circular polypropylene.

ABSTRACT: Plastic recycling presents a vexing challenge. Mechanical recycling offers substantial greenhouse gas emissions savings relative to virgin plastic production but suffers from degraded aesthetic and mechanical properties. Polypropylene, one of the most widely used and lowest-cost plastics, features methyl pendants along the polymer backbone, rendering it particularly susceptible to declining properties, performance, and aesthetics across a succession of mechanical recycles. Advanced processes, such as solvent-assisted recycling, promise near-virgin quality outputs at a greater energy and emissions footprint. Mechanical and advanced recycling are often presented as competing options, but real-world plastic waste streams are likely to require preprocessing regardless of whether they are route

SUBMITTER: Nordahl SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10655212 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature