Preface xi Acknowledgments xv 1 Introduction to Polymer Waste and Recycling Imperatives 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Why Polymers Should Be Recycled? 4 1.3 What Are the General Strategies for Recycling? 10 1.4 What Is the Critical Role of Plastic Separation in Determining Recycling Strategies? 11 1.5 Economic and Environmental Context of Polymer Waste Management 13 1.6 Closing Statement 14 2 Fundamentals of Rubber Structure and Crosslinking Chemistry 17 2.1 Rubber: Structure and Types 17 2.
2 Classification of Rubber Types 26 2.3 Rubber Blends and Alloys 35 2.4 Comparison of Rubber Types 45 3 Morphology and Filler Interactions in Polymeric Composites, a Crucial Factor in Polymers Waste Management 51 3.1 Carbon Black 53 3.2 Silica 66 3.3 Payne Effect 68 3.4 Mullins Effect 69 3.5 Network Structure and Bound Rubber Concept in Rubber Compounds 70 3.
6 SEM/AFM/TEM Analysis of Polymer-Filler Interfaces 72 3.7 DMA of Filled Polymers 76 3.8 Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Modulated Temperature DSC (MTDSC) in Filled Polymers Analysis 78 3.9 Thermogravimetric Analysis 80 3.10 Case Studies 82 4 Introduction to Rubber Recycling and Classifications of Waste Rubbers 133 4.1 Introduction 133 4.2 Classification of Waste Rubber Sources 135 4.3 Economic and Environmental Assessment (TEA/LCA) 141 4.
4 Global Regulations and Future Outlook 141 5 Strategies and Methods in Rubber Recycling 143 5.1 Strategies for Rubber Recycling 143 5.2 Reusing or Primary Strategy 144 5.3 Mechanical Recycling or Secondary Strategy 151 5.4 Chemical Recycling or Tertiary Strategy 155 5.5 Energy Recovery or Quaternary Strategy 160 5.6 Future Directions and Emerging Technologies, i.e.
, Bio-based Reclamation 164 6 Waste Rubber Devulcanization, Fundamentals, and Mechanisms 171 6.1 Introduction 171 6.2 Mechanisms, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics 172 6.3 Devulcanization Techniques 174 7 Case Studies in Waste Rubber Devulcanization Techniques and Industrial Processes 191 7.1 Reclamation of EPDM Rubber 191 7.2 Reclamation of Waste Tire Rubbers 220 7.3 Reclamation of General Cured Butyl Rubber 233 7.4 Reclamation of Phenolic Cured Butyl Rubber 242 8 Advanced Techniques for Plastics Separation From a Waste Plastic Stream 259 8.
1 Introduction 259 8.2 Plastics Separation Techniques as a Crucial Part of Plastics Waste Management 262 8.3 How Can AI Help in Manual Sorting of Plastics? 299 9 Case Studies in Waste Plastics Separation Using Novel Flotation Technique 303 9.1 Separation of Polyvinylchloride, Polystyrene, and Polyethylene Terephthalate 303 9.2 Separation of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene, Polycarbonate, and Polyoxymethylene 315 9.3 Microwave-assisted Flotation Technique for Separation of PVC, PS, and PET 326 9.4 Microwave-assisted Flotation Technique for Separation of ABS, PC, and POM 343 9.5 Final Observations 350 10 Economic, Policy, and Industrial Perspectives of Polymer Recycling 355 10.
1 Global Market Overview for Recycled Polymers and Rubbers 355 10.2 Economic Impact and Industrial Cost-Benefit Analysis 357 10.3 Comparative TEA and LCA of Major Recycling Technologies 358 10.4 Life Cycle and Techno-economic Evaluations of Separation Methods 361 10.5 Policy, Incentives, and Circular Economy Models 363 10.6 Economic and Environmental Assessment of Rubber Recycling 365 10.7 Future Research Directions and Emerging Technologies 366 10.8 Microplastics Challenges 367 10.
9 The Role of AI in Polymer Recycling and Waste Management 369 10.10 Concluding Remarks Toward Sustainable Polymer Circularity 372 References 372 Index 375.