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Project

Quantifying the limitations to the recyclability of PU – a statistical entropy approach (RePUSE).

Plastics are versatile and paramount in our daily lives. However, this versatility makes plastics difficult to recycle due to their complexity in terms of geospatial distribution, substance/monomer/oligomer composition and molecular distribution. This complexity, later referred to as entropic considerations, is barely acknowledged in the traditional, state-of-the-art recyclability and sustainability assessments such as life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA). And yet, in order to design recyclable and therefore sustainable materials, and implement supporting policy, having this knowledge via an easily accessible methodology is imperative. Polyurethanes (PU) are highly versatile polymeric materials used in a plethora of applications. To date, the main end-of-life waste management steps for PU are incineration and landfilling, with only limited recycling. Therefore, I will study the following research question: "How does the complexity of polyurethanes affect the recyclability of related applications, and how can we quantify this?". In this blue sky small research project, I combine my expertise on statistical entropy analysis and generic recyclability predictions with the expertise on chemical recycling of plastics at the iPRACS research team to: (i) develop a generic methodology for the evaluation of the recyclability of plastic waste including information on the compositional complexity, complexity in terms of geospatial distribution of products over society and monomer composition and molecular distributions based on MSEA and (ii) validate the methodology by quantifying the limitations to the recyclability of PU. The resulting fully validated recyclability assessment paradigm will serve as a stepping stone for my independent research track. The proposed research project could give sufficient demonstration of the methodology to make it accessible for future applications and projects.
Date:1 Apr 2022 →  31 Mar 2023
Keywords:RECYCLING, CIRCULAR ECONOMY, STATISTICAL ENTROPY, POLYURETHANES
Disciplines:Recycling, Resources engineering, Life cycle engineering