Controlling and optimizing the volatile organic compound and organic contaminant removal by improved water management in plastic recycling plants.

ABSTRACT: Water-based washing is a critical step in the mechanical recycling of flexible post-consumer polyolefin packaging, essential for achieving high-quality recyclates. Despite its importance, the process remains poorly understood and entails a substantial water consumption. This study aims to optimize the trade-off between water usage and recyclate quality, focusing on organic contaminants (i.e. chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Lab-scale experiments were conducted to: (1) characterize various plastic input streams and identify correlations among key parameters, (2) assess the influence of input stream variability and solid-to-liquid (SL) ratios on washing efficiency, (3) investigate water reuse effects on both recy

SUBMITTER: Collier N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12681444 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature