RECYCLING OF POLYMERS

Introduction
A polymer is described as a large molecule built up from numerous smaller molecules
known as monomers. H. Staudinger was the first to propose that polymer is made up of
repeating atoms, connected with covalent bond to form a long chain. From the 18th
century, polymers can be synthesized and they proved their commercial importance in the
early 1990s. The properties of polymer that make it so valuable also make its disposal
problematic, such as its durability, lightweight and low cost. In many cases, plastic
polymers are thrown away after one use especially packaging and sheeting, but because
they are durable, they persist in the environment. Global consumption of plastic material
at present is nearly 45kg per capita. To avoid accumulation of polymer waste, techniques
were invented to reuse the waste materials.

Classification of Polymers
Polymers are divided into two main groups: thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers.
Thermoplastic polymers are hard at room temperature but on heating, they become soft
and more or less fluid which can be molded. Thermosetting polymers can be molded at
room temperature or above, but when heated more strongly, they become hard and
infusible. In general, thermoplastic polymers can be used again up to three processing
cycles depended on desired properties and applications, whereas the recycling of
thermosetting polymers is difficult due to their chemical structure.
 Thermoplastic
It has covalent bonds and
weak van der waal
interactions between
monomer chains.
Thermosetting
It has strong cross-links
and 3D network of
covalent bonded atoms.

Low molecular weight and High molecular weight

soluble in some organic and insoluble in organic
solvents. solvents.

Low tensile strength and High tensile strength

durability. and durability.

Recycling of Thermoplastic polymers

Recycling of plastics should be carried in such a manner to minimize the pollution during
the process and as a result to enhance the efficiency of the process and conserve the
energy. Plastics recycling technologies have been historically divided into four general
types: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.
1. Primary recycling- It involves processing of waste materials into a product with
characteristics similar to that of original product. This process remains the most
popular as it ensures simplicity and low cost, however only with the recycling of
clean, uncontaminated, single type of waste with a limit on the number of cycles
for each material.
2. Secondary recycling (Mechanical recycling)- It involves processing of waste
plastics into materials that have characteristics different from that of original
product. In this approach, size of the waste plastic is reduced after it is sorted,
cleaned, and dried, and then directly processed into end products or flakes of
consistent quality, which can be further used for manufacturing other goods.
Strategies for maintaining the polymer’s average molecular weight during
reprocessing include intensive drying, reprocessing with vacuum degassing and
the use of chain extender compounds.
 Collection or
segregation

Cleaning and
Manufacturing Drying
of the end
product
Mechanical
recycling
steps
Chipping or
Pelletization sizing
or Extrusion

Coloring or
agglomeration

3. Tertiary recycling (Chemical recycling)- It involves the production of basic

chemicals and fuels from plastic waste as part of the municipal waste stream or as
a segregated waste. It uses a technique called depolymerization, which can be very
profitable and beneficial from the sustainability point of view.

Hydrogenatiom
Gasification
Tertiary recycling methods

Chemical
depolymerization

Thermal cracking
Catalytic cracking or
reforming
Photodegradation
Ultrasound
degradation
Degradation in
microwave reactor
 4. Quaternary recycling (Energy recovery)- It retrieves the energy content of
waste plastics by burning or incineration. Incineration aiming at the recovery of
energy is currently the most effective way to reduce the volume of organic
materials. Though this method yields considerable energy from polymers, it is
ecologically unacceptable owing to the health risk from airborne toxic substances,
for example, dioxins.

Incineration

Recycling of Thermosetting polymers

Thermosets are preferred materials of construction for many applications due to its long-
term properties. Recycling of thermosetting polymers is regarded as one of the urgent
problems to be settled because of its technological difficulty. Thermosets cannot be
recycled for the same purpose, except as filler material. Some new thermosets can be
recycled to some extent but their commercial importance is not tapped yet.

Thermoset recycling
processes

Mechanical Thermal
recycling processes

Combustion
Powdered Fibrous Fluidized
with energy Pyrolysis
fillers products bed process
recovery

Clean fibres Chemical

and fillers products,
with energy fibres and
recovery filler
Current recycling approaches
Mechanical recycling is the only widely adopted technology for large-scale treatment of
plastic solid waste. The downside of mechanical recycling is the sorting prior to melting,
which is imprecise and prone to impurity inclusion. Effective recycling of mixed plastic
waste is the major challenge for the plastics recycling sector. Another challenge is
ensuring that material performance during its lifetime is not hindered while allowing for
end-of-life degradation or reprocessing.

According to the most recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report, a mere 8.8%
of all plastic produced in the U.S. annually is recovered from municipal solid waste and
then incinerated, recycled, or industrially composted. The recycling rate is slightly higher
in Europe, at ~30% for plastic waste. Approximately 6 million tonnes of plastic remain
un-recycled in India. The recycling steps in India involves: collection, sorting, shredding,
cleaning, melting, pellet-making and re-using.
Three ongoing research directions have great potential to advance plastic recycling
practices: improving chemical recycling efficiency and selectivity through catalyst
development, minimizing the need for sorting through compatibilizer design, and
expanding recycling beyond thermoplastic. The relative newcomer, depolymerization is
particularly exciting as it offers a route to access the polymer without any of the
downsides experienced in other recycling methods: the resultant polymer has identical
properties and it is reasonably tolerant to contaminants.