Study claims basic polymers can be recycled up to 10 times

The Moscow-based Russian Chemists Union and the Chemical Industry Development Aid Fund have completed a large-scale study at Rosbiotech University centered on the quality of repeatedly recycled polymers. The study claims that after being recycled as many as 10 times, these materials retain operational properties comparable to those of primary polymers.

Scientists involved in the study used extrusion, granulation and grinding to simulate the recycling of basic polymers. To assess the quality of the materials, they used criteria comprising six indicators: molecular weight, breaking stress, relative elongation at break, oxygen-containing groups, yellowing and melt flow.

Scientists say the study shows that high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) retain their operational properties after being recycled 10 times; low-density polyethylene (LDPE) nine times; polypropylene (PP) eight times; and polystyrene (PS) five times.

The researchers say results were obtained without using stabilizers—additives that protect polymers from degradation, adding that the study confirmed that polymers offer “excellent potential for use in a circular economy.”

The Russian Chemists Union shared its findings with the Russian government. The group has proposed developing a methodology for recycling basic polymers and identifying areas where they could possibly be used, saying “advances in recycling will help reduce the environmental fees that polymer processors will have to pay in the future.”

The Russian Chemists Union is a nonprofit organization that includes companies in the chemical sector, industry researchers and educational institutes, as well as chemical unions and associations. Currently, the union claims around 600 enterprises and organizations as members.