Journal
POLYMERS
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/polym14010112
Keywords
plastic waste; chemical recycling; mathematical modelling; carbon feedstock; circular economy; open-loop recycling; acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; polystyrene; toluene
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The value and use of hydrocarbons from waste plastics and solvents can be extended through open-loop chemical recycling, converting plastic to non-plastic materials. By setting appropriate assumptions including constant viscosity of solvents, disentanglement-controlled dissolution mechanism, and linear increase in dissolved polymer's mass fraction over time, a batch process was designed to yield 1 tonne/h slurry. The selection of the ideal solvent, with high affinity to the desired polymer and low viscosity, is crucial for the dissolution process.
The inherent value and use of hydrocarbons from waste plastics and solvents can be extended through open-loop chemical recycling, as this process converts plastic to a range of non-plastic materials. This process is enhanced by first creating plastic-solvent combinations from multiple sources, which then are streamlined through a single process stream. We report on the relevant mechanics for streamlining industrially relevant polymers such as polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) into chemical slurries mixed with various organic solvents such as toluene, xylene, and cyclohexane. The miscibility of the polymer feedstock within the solvent was evaluated using the Relative Energy Difference method, and the dissolution process was evaluated using the Molecular theories in a continuum framework model. These models were used to design a batch process yielding 1 tonne/h slurry by setting appropriate assumptions including constant viscosity of solvents, disentanglement-controlled dissolution mechanism, and linear increase in the dissolved polymer's mass fraction over time. Solvent selection was found to be the most critical parameter for the dissolution process. The characteristics of the ideal solvent are high affinity to the desired polymer and low viscosity. This work serves as a universal technical guideline for the open-loop chemical recycling of plastics, avoiding the growth of waste plastic by utilising them as a carbon feedstock towards a circular economy framework.
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