Valorization of waste solvents and reagents from the chemical recycling of postconsumer plastics: A step towards a green circular economy
Sustainable and green management of chemical waste necessitates an amalgamation of several strategies to lessen health concerns, minimize opposing impacts on the environment and improve consumption and reuse of resources. Such strategies can be grouped into the reduction of usage and production of hazardous materials, redesigning of processes to decrease waste output and most importantly, proposition of approaches for the recovery and reuse of waste solvents and reagents. Our study is focused on the valorization of waste solvents and reagents produced from our technology for chemical recycling of plastics. Waste chemical solvents have been recycled via distillation and their efficiency was assessed after several cycles of reuse. Reagents utilized in our depolymerization reactions for catalytic and purification purposes were also regenerated and their performance in the reactions was evaluated. Furthermore, the waste water that was produced during our plastics recycling process has been experimented for growing plants and its application was compared against recycled water obtained via distillation of this waste water.
Conclusively, the success of the proposed approach for chemical waste management introduces a new potential for a sustainable circular economy of plastics chemical recycling and the establishment of a new applicable approach for recycling waste solvents and reagents, in contribution towards making a healthier environment.