Recycling of PVC wastes

PVC is a universal polymer which can be processed into a wide variety of short-life or long-life products. As a result of increasing consumption of PVC-made products in recent years, the quantity of used PVC items entering the waste stream is gradually increased. Currently, there is a considerable public concern about the problem of plastic wastes, from which PVC has not escaped and the material or energy recycling may be a suitable way to overcome this problem. This review considers the various aspects of the PVC recycling such as recycling methods of PVC, special problems about some proposed processes, separation techniques, and recycling of mixed PVC wastes. In addition, an attempt is made to portray the current status of PVC recycling, the most recent technologies of recycling, and some recent scientific research in the field. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.