Six Experts Discuss Innovations in Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste

The Thermo Fisher Scientific webinar series "Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste" showcased cutting-edge scientific advances to address the complex challenges of plastic recycling. Across five weekly webinars, six industry experts shared insights on improving recycling efficiency and product development using modern analytical and processing technologies.

Key Insights from Industry Experts

1. Distinguishing Pre- and Post-Consumer Plastic Waste

Dr. Madina Shamsuyeva highlighted the critical importance of differentiating between post-industrial (pre-consumer) waste—characterized by purity and known chemical composition—and post-consumer waste, which comes from used products and is more variable. This classification drives transparency and informs recycling targets throughout the supply chain.

2. Rheology and Polymer Behavior

Dr. Ophélie Ranquet explained the Weissenberg effect in polymer rheology, where viscoelastic fluids climb rotating tools, akin to spaghetti twirling on a fork. This effect can distort viscosity measurements but using oscillatory shear modes mitigates such inaccuracies, facilitating more reliable material characterization.

3. Variability in Recycled Polymers

Felix Mehrens and Niklas Rode addressed challenges in mechanical recycling due to the heterogeneous nature of recycled materials. Unlike virgin polymers, recyclates often exhibit inconsistent properties caused by degradation, mixing of different plastics, and contamination, complicating quality control in circular economy applications.

4. Impact of Temperature on Material Identification

Their study also revealed temperature influences on Raman spectroscopy results used to predict material composition. Spectral shifts at different temperatures necessitate temperature-controlled modeling to improve the accuracy of compositional analysis during extrusion.

5. Challenges in Marine Plastic Waste Recycling

Dr. Annika Völp discussed the difficulties posed by marine plastic contamination and degradation. Mechanical recycling through blending marine plastics with virgin low-density polyethylene (LDPE) generally preserved or enhanced thermal stability, except for heavily degraded polyamide blends. Precise sorting and monitoring are therefore crucial for high-quality recyclates.

6. Hybrid Chemical-Mechanical Recycling Advances

Professor João Maia unveiled a hybrid recycling approach combining chemical and mechanical methods via reactive extrusion. This innovation addresses chemical recycling’s limitations—including low capacity, high cost, CO2 emissions, and contamination sensitivity—by enabling scalable separation and upgrading of mixed plastic waste streams while maintaining polymer value.

Conclusion

These expert perspectives underscore that advancing sustainable products from plastic waste requires a multifaceted approach: precise waste classification, improvements in analytical techniques like rheology and spectroscopy, careful management of heterogeneous and contaminated waste streams, and innovative hybrid recycling technologies. Together, these developments pave the way for more efficient, scalable, and eco-friendly plastics recycling solutions.

Access the Full Webinar Series

For a detailed dive into these topics and more, watch the full Thermo Fisher Scientific “Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste” webinars available at AZoM.

Reference

Thermo Fisher Scientific – Materials Characterization. (2025, October 2). Six Experts Talk Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste. AZoM. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=24662

This summary provides actionable insights for R&D professionals, sustainability advocates, and industry stakeholders committed to closing the loop on plastic waste through innovative recycling technologies.

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