The development of recycling methods for bio-based materials – A challenge in the implementation of a circular economy: A review

Abstract

This review focuses on the characteristics of the most widely used biopolymers that contain starch, polylactic acid, cellulose and/or polybutylene succinate. Because worldwide production of bio-based materials has grown dynamically, their waste is increasingly found in the existing waste treatment plants. The development of recycling methods for bio-based materials remains a challenge in the implementation of a circular economy. This article summarizes the recycling methods for bio-based materials, which, in the hierarchy of waste management, is much more desirable than landfilling. Several methods of recycling are available for the end-of-life management of bio-based products, which include mechanical (reuse of waste as a valuable raw material for further processing), chemical (feedstock recycling) and organic (anaerobic digestion or composting) ones. The use of chemical or mechanical recycling is less favourable, more costly and requires the improvement of systems for separation of bio-based materials from the rest of the waste stream. Organic recycling can be a sustainable alternative to those two methods. In organic recycling, bio-based materials can be biologically treated under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, depending on the characteristics of the materials. The choice of the recycling method to be implemented depends on the economic situation and on the properties of the bio-based products and their susceptibility to degradation. Thus, it is necessary to label the products to indicate which method of recycling is most appropriate.