Circularity of Plastics: Sustainability, Emerging Materials, and Valorization of Waste Plastic

Circularity of Plastics: Sustainability, Emerging Materials, and Valorization of Waste Plastic takes an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to circularity and sustainability in plastics, with an emphasis on plastic waste and end-of-life treatment and options for recycling, re-use, valorization and development of biomass-based polymers. The book introduces key concepts of sustainable materials, the circular economy, and lifecycle assessment, and discusses challenges in the valorization of waste. Other sections cover the upcycling of waste plastic into new materials and fuels, with dedicated chapters exploring state-of-the-art techniques for conversion to new sustainable polymers, fuel, fine chemicals and carbon nanomaterials.

Emerging technologies used to produce functional polymers from renewable feedstocks, including CO2, biomass, natural polymers, polylactic acid (PLA), and polyhydroxyalkanoate-based materials (PHAs) are then explored, with a final chapter focusing on applications of sustainable materials, challenges, and future perspectives. This is a valuable resource for researchers, scientists, engineers, R&D professionals, and advanced students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, with an interest in sustainable materials, circularity in plastics, and polymer waste and valorization.

• Explains the fundamental concepts of sustainable materials, circular economy, lifecycle assessment, and valorization of plastic waste
• Presents cutting-edge methods for the conversion or upcycling of waste to sustainable polymers, fuel and fine chemicals, and carbon nanomaterials
• Provides detailed coverage of the development of functional polymers from a range of sustainable and renewable resources

Dr. Zibiao Li obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from National University of Singapore (NUS). Currently, he is working as a senior research scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR, Singapore. He is currently the Head of Advanced Sustainable Materials Department in IMRE. His research interests are focused on biodegradable functional polymeric materials design, structural properties investigations and their hybrid fabrications for high performance applications in consumer care and healthcare. He has published over 120 journal papers, 2 books, 5 book chapters, 15 technological disclosures / Patents, mainly in the area of biodegradable and sustainable materials.

Dr Jason Y. C. Lim obtained his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, U.K. Thereafter, he obtained a postdoctoral position at the same institute under the supervision of Professor Charlotte K. Williams, working on metal-free organocatalysis for the synthesis of polylactic acid, a leading biopolymer with vast commercial applications in today’s world. His current research interests at IMRE, Singapore, include development of novel catalysts to replace toxic heavy-metal catalysts used for polymer synthesis, chemical valorisation and upcycling of waste plastics, development of new sustainable polymers for biomedical applications, as well as ion sensors for agritech nutrient monitoring to reduce over-application of fertilisers. At the time of writing, he has authored/ co-authored 25 peer-reviewed papers in top chemistry and materials science journals.

Dr Chen-Gang Wang obtained his Ph.D. in organic and polymeric materials under the supervision of Professor Toshikazu Takata from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. After working in chemical industry for two years, he moved to Nanyang Technological University as a research fellow in Professor Atsushi Goto’s group and promoted to senior research fellow at 2019. His current position is a research scientist in Advanced Sustainable Materials Department in IMRE/A*STAR, Singapore.

His research expertise focuses primarily on polymer science and materials. His current research interests include development of biomass-based polymers and the polymerization methods, design and synthesis of degradable/decomposable polymers, and creation of structurally complex polymer materials for advanced applications. He has (co)authored 23 peer-reviewed papers in top chemistry and materials science journals.