About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Bio-inspired, Mechanics-Driven Solutions for Plastics Recycling |
| Author(s) |
Christos Athanasiou |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Christos Athanasiou |
| Abstract Scope |
More than 350 million metric tons of plastic waste is generated each year globally, with the majority ending up in landfills. Mechanical recycling, the most widely adopted recovery route, yields plastic materials (recyclates) with degraded properties, and a huge variability in their mechanical performance resulting in inconsistent quality compared to their virgin counterparts. This inconsistency not only undermines manufacturers’ confidence in using recycled plastics but also prevents the widespread implementation of design-for-circularity strategies.
I will demonstrate how solid mechanics principles can help overcome these challenges. I’ll introduce a bio-inspired “brick-and-mortar” composite that leverages hard-soft phase interactions to suppress variability in recyclates’ properties without relying on chemistry-related interventions. This variability suppression approach cannot only facilitate virgin plastic substitution but can also support design for recycling strategies and enable reliable performance modeling in circular product systems. Finally, I outline a roadmap for how mechanics innovations can accelerate the adoption of recyclates. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Sustainability, Mechanical Properties, Recycling and Secondary Recovery |