| Abstract Scope |
The design requirements of many manufactured products are challenging enough. Often next-gen product redesigns to enhance performance reduce weight/cost and increase reliability or performance by substituting/modifying materials however that’s determined. And often, how to render products at the end of their design lifetime is not initially considered. I am piloting a senior/graduate course at The University of Michigan on polymer recycling/sustainability that introduces ways to reduce and reprocess virgin polymer and composites by mechanical, chemical, and biological deterioration pathways. In class we are also gauging both mechanisms and the kinetics of breakdown. I will present class details about greening products, substituting natural polymers for synthetics, case studies, and some unique learning opportunities. Among key observations, polymer complexity (whether by copolymerization, blending, and grafting) makes recycling harder, and stepping up recycling and incentivizing the use of recycled forms are crucial. |