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Abstract
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Due to the unique properties, versatile structures, and affordable price, plastics (polymers) have become an essential part of our lives. Plastics have made our life easier and better, but their longevity and stability have also led to several unanticipated problems. The lack of proper plastic recycling techniques, combined with ineffective methods for sorting and collecting plastics, have caused plastic waste to rapidly accumulate in the environment, as more than 80% of the ~400 Mt of plastic that is produced annually ends up as waste. The problem of plastic waste has now reached a critical point and requires immediate action. There are few methods for effective plastic recycling which thoroughly have been covered in this chapter. First, different kind of mechanical recycling with an overview of their challenges have been discussed. Then, state-of-art chemical recycling methods including chemolysis and pyrolysis have been elaborated. Moreover, this chapter reviews the main challenges of the mentioned recycling methods and suggests potential remedies and ground them to relevant polymer science, providing an applied and also an academic angle.
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