The circular economy is essentially based on three principles: removal of waste and pollution, saving products and materials in use and renewing natural systems. It is increasingly focused on renewable energy and materials. It essentially defines a new model in contrast to the approach of linear economy addressed to produce, use, dispose, and then attempt to reduce the damage. Instead, the circular economy aims to balance impact at the beginning of the process of making goods or selling services. The circular economy pays attention to the full material cycle, how it is used, re-used and disposed, how to minimize waste and make the most of resources in that process. Risks to humans or the environment should be avoided, so the use of hazardous chemicals in products should be reduced throughout their entire life cycle. Chemistry is central to the ideal of the circular economy. Bioplastics are considered highly significant to increase sustainability, defined as a balance between economic, environmental, and social aspects.
The circular economy model aims to preserve the value of commodities, materials, and resources in the economy for as long as possible, reducing waste generation. Chemistry has a central role to the paradigm of the circular economy and sustainable society. The design and development of new materials and components are important to extend the lifetimes of products, enable the separation of composites, or the full biodegradation of plastics as well as recycling. The suitable use of resources is also essential, exploiting renewable materials and wastes to create sustainable products.
Extensive research efforts must be devoted to developing green synthesis processes and evaluating end-of-life options as well as the environmental effects of the degradation of plastic materials, providing valuable support in the fruitful transition towards a circular economy strategy. All materials are a mixture of different chemicals and separation is often a challenge. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to supply an overview of current attempts and recent advances in the field of sustainable polymers, focusing on their design, synthesis, bio-based feedstocks to mimic fossil-based monomers or renewable alternatives, recovery of chemicals, recycling, separation of components, evaluation, and selection of catalysts, and on all the related topics that can represent a contribution to sustainability.
Contributions can concern several features including chemistry, biology, material science, product design, and environmental sciences. We welcome submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Eco-design of bioplastics and products
• Use of waste and biomass to make chemicals and materials
• Evaluation and improvement of end-of-life options
• Recovery and recycling
• Re-use of molecules
• Waste management
• Conversion of biomass into chemical feedstock
• Bio-based polymers
• Biomass-derived monomers
The circular economy is essentially based on three principles: removal of waste and pollution, saving products and materials in use and renewing natural systems. It is increasingly focused on renewable energy and materials. It essentially defines a new model in contrast to the approach of linear economy addressed to produce, use, dispose, and then attempt to reduce the damage. Instead, the circular economy aims to balance impact at the beginning of the process of making goods or selling services. The circular economy pays attention to the full material cycle, how it is used, re-used and disposed, how to minimize waste and make the most of resources in that process. Risks to humans or the environment should be avoided, so the use of hazardous chemicals in products should be reduced throughout their entire life cycle. Chemistry is central to the ideal of the circular economy. Bioplastics are considered highly significant to increase sustainability, defined as a balance between economic, environmental, and social aspects.
The circular economy model aims to preserve the value of commodities, materials, and resources in the economy for as long as possible, reducing waste generation. Chemistry has a central role to the paradigm of the circular economy and sustainable society. The design and development of new materials and components are important to extend the lifetimes of products, enable the separation of composites, or the full biodegradation of plastics as well as recycling. The suitable use of resources is also essential, exploiting renewable materials and wastes to create sustainable products.
Extensive research efforts must be devoted to developing green synthesis processes and evaluating end-of-life options as well as the environmental effects of the degradation of plastic materials, providing valuable support in the fruitful transition towards a circular economy strategy. All materials are a mixture of different chemicals and separation is often a challenge. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to supply an overview of current attempts and recent advances in the field of sustainable polymers, focusing on their design, synthesis, bio-based feedstocks to mimic fossil-based monomers or renewable alternatives, recovery of chemicals, recycling, separation of components, evaluation, and selection of catalysts, and on all the related topics that can represent a contribution to sustainability.
Contributions can concern several features including chemistry, biology, material science, product design, and environmental sciences. We welcome submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Eco-design of bioplastics and products
• Use of waste and biomass to make chemicals and materials
• Evaluation and improvement of end-of-life options
• Recovery and recycling
• Re-use of molecules
• Waste management
• Conversion of biomass into chemical feedstock
• Bio-based polymers
• Biomass-derived monomers