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CC BY 4.0 · Sustainability & Circularity NOW 2025; 02: a25547254
DOI: 10.1055/a-2554-7254
Review

Polyolefins in the Circular Economy: Advances and Recyclability

Authors

  • Saurabh Tiwari‡

    1   Reliance Research and Development Centre, Reliance Industries Limited, Navi Mumbai 400701, India

  • Vivek Tembhare‡

    1   Reliance Research and Development Centre, Reliance Industries Limited, Navi Mumbai 400701, India

  • Virendrakumar Gupta 

    1   Reliance Research and Development Centre, Reliance Industries Limited, Navi Mumbai 400701, India
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Abstract

Plastics are widely used across various sectors, with polyolefins such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) making up a significant portion of global consumption. These materials are produced through olefin polymerization using diverse technologies, and their properties are tailored to meet the needs of different industries. Despite their benefits, plastics are often criticized for their environmental impact due to improper waste management, leading to littering on land and in oceans. Therefore, an intelligent and sustainable waste management system is essential to transform plastic waste into valuable resources and prevent pollution.This review article focuses on the production of value-added products through various recycling techniques, particularly the chemical recycling of polyolefins. Current technologies lack the integration of advanced tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which are necessary for modernizing these processes. Implementing AI and ML into existing technologies presents a significant challenge but is crucial for advancing recycling methods. The objective of this review is to highlight current polyolefin production technologies, address environmental concerns from plastic waste, and explore recycling techniques and novel processes to ensure a circular economy framework for a sustainable plastic value chain.

Keywords

Polyolefins - Technology - Recycling - Chemical and mechanical recycling - Sustainability - Circularity


Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 29. September 2024

Angenommen nach Revision: 28. Februar 2025

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
17. April 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

Bibliographical Record
Saurabh Tiwari, Vivek Tembhare, Virendrakumar Gupta. Polyolefins in the Circular Economy: Advances and Recyclability. Sustainability & Circularity NOW 2025; 02: a25547254.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2554-7254
 

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