1 research outputs found
Hydrothermal Processing of Multilayer Plastic Film for Cascaded Valorization of Nonrecyclable Waste
Mixed
polymer plastics cannot undergo mechanical recycling, resulting
in heterogeneous low-quality recycled products. Multilayered mulch
film, used in agriculture, is an example of mixed polymeric product,
as it usually contains a gas barrier polymer layer, which is different
in composition compared to the outer layers. Thus, multilayered mulch
films are considered nonrecyclable and landfilled. Hydrothermal processing
(HTP) is an alternative solution for mixed plastic waste management.
HTP is used here as a combined separation and treatment of a multilayer
film. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film with a 20–25 wt
% barrier layer of polyamide (PA) was treated with HTP, and analyses
were performed for products in all phases (solid, liquid, and gas).
After HTP, the inner PA layer had decomposed, and 22 ± 3 wt %
of the original film was recovered as caprolactam monomer and similar
compounds in the liquid phase. The remaining solid product, 80 ±
2 wt % of the original film, mainly comprises the LDPE fraction. Evaluation
of its suitability for subsequent processing with pyrolysis and mechanical
recycling was also demonstrated. This work indicates that HTP can
valorize landfill-designated mixed polymer plastics and should be
considered as a beneficial alternative for a circular plastic economy