Solvent-based separation and recycling of waste plastics: A review

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 209; pp. 707 - 720
• Main Authors: Zhao, Yi-Bo, Lv, Xu-Dong, Ni, Hong-Gang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2018
• Subjects: Dissolution/reprecipitation; markets; plastics; pollution; poly(vinyl chloride); profits and margins; recycling; Solvent extraction; solvents; Supercritical fluid extraction; Waste plastics; wastes; Waste plastics; Dissolution/reprecipitation; Solvent extraction; Supercritical fluid extraction
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.06.095

Since the creation of first man-made plastic, the global production and consumption of plastics have been continuously increasing. However, because plastic materials are durable and very slow to degrade, they become waste with high staying power. The over-consumption, disposal, and littering of plastics result in pollution, thus causing serious environmental consequences. To date, only a fraction of waste plastics is reused and recycled. In fact, recycling plastics remains a great challenge because of technical challenges and relatively insufficient profits, especially in mixed plastics. This review focuses on an environmentally friendly and potentially profitable method for plastics separation and recovery and solvents extraction. It includes the dissolution/reprecipitation method and supercritical fluid extraction, which produce high-quality recovered plastics comparable to virgin materials. These methods are summarized and discussed taking mass-produced plastics (PS, PC, Polyolefins, PET, ABS, and PVC) as examples. To exploit the method, the quality and efficiency of solvent extraction are elaborated. By eliminating these technical challenges, the solvent extraction method is becoming more promising and sustainable for plastic issues and polymer markets. [Display omitted] •Solvent extraction is a promising method to separate waste mixed plastics.•The method is potentially applied for recycling mass-produced plastics.•The method is environmentally benign and is potentially profitable.