Six Experts Discuss Advances in Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste

In October 2025, Thermo Fisher Scientific hosted a five-week webinar series called “Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste”. Six experts shared ideas and solutions for recycling plastic. They focused on new tests, better material checks, and improved recycling steps to boost plastic sustainability. Below, we share key insights in brief.

Understanding Types of Plastic Waste

Dr. Madina Shamsuyeva: Standardizing Recycling of Plastic Waste

• Post-Industrial vs. Post-Consumer Waste:
  • Post-industrial waste comes from manufacturing. It stays pure and is simple to recycle.
  • Post-consumer waste follows product use. It carries impurities and is hard to recycle.
• The Role of Classification:
  Classifying waste correctly builds transparency. It also sets clear recycling targets and guides policy.

Innovations in Polymer Rheology and Process Monitoring

Dr. Ophélie Ranquet: Rheology and Polymer Behavior

• The Weissenberg effect makes polymers climb rotating tools, much like spaghetti twines around a fork.
• This climb can distort viscosity readings in tests. Using oscillatory shear helps polymers relax and yields better numbers.

Felix Mehrens & Niklas Rode: Real-Time Analysis in Mechanical Recycling

• Recycled polymers behave unevenly because they mix, degrade, or gather contaminants.
• Temperature changes how polymers react in Raman tests. Models must tune for temperature to predict materials well during extrusion.

Tackling Marine Plastic Waste and Enhancing Recyclate Quality

Dr. Annika Völp: Recycling Marine-Derived Plastics

• Marine plastics bring extra trouble with stain and wear.
• Mixing marine waste with virgin low-density polyethylene (PE) can keep or boost heat stability, while very worn blends (like those with polyamide) work poorly.
• Sorting and carefully checking marine waste are key to crafting quality recycled products.

Scaling Recycling with Hybrid Mechanical-Chemical Approaches

Professor João Maia: Addressing Limitations of Chemical Recycling

• Challenges in Chemical Recycling:
  Chemical recycling plants process around 100,000 tons per year. They cost much to build and run, emit much CO₂, and do not like contaminants. These factors restrict scale.
• Hybrid Recycling as a Fix:
  Merging mechanical and chemical recycling with reactive extrusion creates more product flow. This method separates and upcycles plastics while keeping polymer value. It is a promising way to recycle plastic on a large scale.

Conclusion

The expert panel shows that better sustainable plastic products need many new ideas. They push for clear waste labels, sharp material checks, and smart recycling blends. Fast tests and careful study of polymer flow make recycling smooth, while mixing and hybrid methods turn hard waste into good material. These steps add to the move toward a circular plastic economy.

For more in-depth details and to watch the full webinar series, visit Thermo Fisher Scientific’s platform on sustainable plastic recycling.

Reference:
Thermo Fisher Scientific – Materials Characterization. (2025, October 2). Six Experts Talk Sustainable Products from Plastic Waste. AZoM. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=24662

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