Status
Completed
Material Class
Polymers
specific materials
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE/LLDPE)
18-01-SA-04
NODE
Technical Thrust
Systems Analysis & Integration
Methods, Tools, & Data
project Members
American Chemistry Council
About
PET and polyolefins (HDPE, LDPE/LLDPE, and PP) account for 80% of the plastic that the U.S. landfills annually. Although the recycling rates for PET and three types of polyolefins (HDPE natural bottles, HDPE non-bottle containers, and LDPE/LLDPE bags) are ~ 18%, the recycling rate for the other polyolefin waste streams, which make up 50% of all U.S. plastic waste, is less than 1%. This project aims to develop a modeling framework that will enable analyses of factors, such as increased adoption of chemical versus mechanical recycling and improvements in polymer recycling technologies, that might enhance the recovery and recycling rate of polymers, including polyolefins and PET.
PUBLICATIONS
May 4, 2019
Systems Analysis for PET and Olefin Polymers in a Circular Economy
Manuscript
Shonnard, D.R., Tipaldo, E., Thompson, V., Pearce, J., Caneba, G., Handler, R.M., 2019, "Systems analysis for PET and olefin polymers in a circular economy", Procedia CIRP, 80, 602-606, 26th CIRP Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) Conference
Pub. Info: The 26th CIRP Life Cycle Engineering Conference (May 2019)
October 3, 2020
Exploring a Circular Economy for Plastics
Conference Paper
Shonnard, D.R. published an invited manuscript for the online site Recycling Today based on the REMADE webinar organized with David Mancuso on August 7, 2019 http://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/exploring-a-circular-economy-for-plastics/
Pub. Info: Recycling Today
May 25, 2021
Systems Analysis Approach to PET and Olefin Plastics Supply Chains in the Circular Economy: A Review of Datasets and Models
Journal Article
Chaudhari, U., Lin, Y., Thompson, V., Handler, R, Pearce, J., Caneba, G., Muhuri, P., Watkins, D., Shonnard, D., 2020, Systems Analysis Approach to PET and Olefin Plastics Supply Chains in the Circular Economy: A Review of Datasets and Models, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Accepted April 2021
Pub. Info: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering