Rezić Meštrović Iva, Somogyi Škoc Maja, Dragun Donna Danijela, Glagolić Petra, Meštrović Ernest
Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 May 22;17(11):1432. doi: 10.3390/polym17111432.
The increasing accumulation of polymer waste presents a significant environmental challenge and a critical opportunity for the development of circular and sustainable membranes. The answer to this complex topic requires an integral approach covering different aspects of the problem. This paper, therefore, explores innovative approaches for the chemical recycling of polymer waste into value-added products, with a specific emphasis on the production of advanced biopolymer membranes. By converting discarded materials into functional polymers through depolymerization and chemical modification processes, new pathways are emerging for the fabrication of high-performance membranes used in filtration, biomedical applications, and energy systems. Among these, electrospinning has gained prominence as a versatile and scalable technique for producing nanostructured membranes with tailored properties. As a key case study presented, the focus was on the optimization of electrospinning parameters, including solvents, polymer concentration, voltage, and flow rate, for the investigation of membranes derived from recycled materials to achieve net-zero technology. Moreover, the environmental benefits of this approach are discussed within a zero-waste and net-zero carbon framework, emphasizing the integration of life cycle assessment to evaluate sustainability metrics. This paper underscores the potential of polymer waste as a feedstock for circular membrane technologies and provides a roadmap for future innovations in waste-to-resource strategies. The results of the demonstrated case example clearly demonstrate how the effects of processing conditions on the production of fine-tuned biodegradable membranes with controlled porosity influenced membrane properties, including mechanical strength and surface functionality, for the desired suppression of the coffee-ring effect.
聚合物废料的不断累积给环境带来了重大挑战，同时也为循环和可持续膜的发展提供了关键机遇。要解决这个复杂的问题，需要采取涵盖问题不同方面的综合方法。因此，本文探索了将聚合物废料化学回收为增值产品的创新方法，特别强调了先进生物聚合物膜的生产。通过解聚和化学改性过程将废弃材料转化为功能聚合物，为制造用于过滤、生物医学应用和能源系统的高性能膜开辟了新途径。其中，静电纺丝作为一种用于生产具有定制特性的纳米结构膜的通用且可扩展的技术而备受瞩目。作为一个关键案例研究，重点是优化静电纺丝参数，包括溶剂、聚合物浓度、电压和流速，以研究源自回收材料的膜，从而实现净零技术。此外，在零废物和净零碳框架内讨论了这种方法的环境效益，强调了整合生命周期评估以评估可持续性指标。本文强调了聚合物废料作为循环膜技术原料的潜力，并为未来废物到资源战略的创新提供了路线图。所展示案例的结果清楚地表明了加工条件对生产具有可控孔隙率的精细可调生物可降解膜的影响如何影响膜的性能，包括机械强度和表面功能，以实现对咖啡环效应的理想抑制。
