Introduction—Circular Economy of Polymers and Recycling Technologies
Dimitris I. Collias, Martin I. James, John M. Layman
Abstract
Over the last 70 years, plastic usage has dramatically increased, with applications in every aspect of modern life. For much of this time plastics were used in a linear economy, being disposed of at the end of their first life. More recently, the amount of material being recycled and reused has increased but the extent of this activity has been limited by the requirement for clean, single material streams as feedstock for mechanical recycling. In this Chapter we will review the circular economy in general, plastics industry, and the circular economy of polymers. We will also explore the environmental impact and end-of-life (EoL) scenarios for plastics and how those factors impact newly emerging advanced recycling technologies. By enabling the use of more mixed waste streams and allowing for more thorough purification these technologies open the possibility for an unlimited number of recycle loops and hence facilitate the transition to a fully circular economy of polymers.