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Delamination of Multilayer Plastic Films to Recover Polyethylene with Favorable Mechanical Properties

delete2026-06-09
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OA
AI
J
Jacob S. Licht
D
Darrell D. Mayberry
K
Kumari Sushmita
Y
Yelin Ni
J
Jorge Ortiz Garcia
J
Justin Olson
J
Jose Ramos
K
Kevin L. Simmons
D
Daniel R. Merkel *
M
Marina Tsianou
P
Paschalis Alexandridis *
DOI:10.1021/acssuschemeng.6c01010delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Multilayer plastic films play a critical role in packaging, with each polymer layer contributing specific properties to the multilayer film. Multilayer plastic films are not currently recyclable due to the bound polymers. With multilayer film production of about 20 million metric tons in 2024 and rising, end-of-life treatment becomes pressing. This work presents a scalable solvent-based delamination recycling process that is applied to commercial postindustrial multimaterial films to unbind the materials within a multilayer film by dissolving only the adhesive layer and recover polyethylene (PE) as an intact solid film. Solvent-based delamination is a simple process that allows the complete recovery of materials and solvents used in the process. The delaminating solvent, 88% formic acid in water, induces delamination of PE/PEI/PET and PE/PU/PET films at 70 °C in under an hour. Recovered PE has no contamination detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mechanical properties on par with those of virgin resin. The recovery of high-quality solid PE film fit for reprocessing, at low operating temperatures and with closed-loop solvent reuse, promotes delamination as a low energy consumption and environmentally friendly recycling process. PE recovered from delamination can be reused in equivalent products, promoting circularity of multimaterial films.
Keywords:
plastics recycling
chemical recycling
molecular recycling
multilayer film
flexible film
polyolefin
polyethylene
sustainability

Journal

A
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
IF:
0
Papers:
554
Citations:
0

Organization

P
pacific northwest national laboratory
Scholars:
1.3K
Papers: 424
Citations: 0
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