Understanding Plastics Recycling (Handbook) (PDF)

Description

Understanding Plastics Recycling: A Practical Guide for Polymer Professionals is a 180-page TechnoBiz Handbook developed to give both technical and non-technical polymer professionals a clear, practical and current understanding of plastics recycling. Its main objective is to help readers understand recycling as a complete system—not just a processing technology—covering product design, collection, sorting, recycling routes, recyclate quality, processing, regulation, economics, safety and end-market requirements.

The book covers plastics and circularity fundamentals; polymer identification; collection, sorting and feedstock preparation; mechanical, solvent-based and chemical recycling; recycled-resin specifications and purchasing; degradation, stabilisation and odour; compounding and upgrading; testing, quality control and traceability; processing recycled plastics; design for recycling; food-contact applications; recycled-content claims, chain of custody and regulation; polymer- and application-specific recycling guides; economics and business models; plant safety; life-cycle thinking; emerging technologies; troubleshooting; and practical checklists, standards, glossary and decision tools.

It is intended for managers, recycling-plant engineers, converters, compounders, quality and laboratory professionals, designers, purchasing and supply-chain teams, sales and business-development professionals, sustainability and regulatory specialists, consultants, lecturers, students and other professionals across the plastics value chain. No prior knowledge of polymer chemistry is assumed.

The key benefit is that readers can make better practical decisions about what can realistically be recycled, how to select and qualify recycled materials, how to process them successfully, how to troubleshoot quality problems, how to design products for recycling, how to evaluate recycling technologies and claims, and how to understand the regulatory, commercial and sustainability implications of recycled plastics. The handbook can be read from cover to cover or used as a practical desk reference, with summaries, figures, worked examples, checklists and key takeaways throughout.