green recycling of plastics through dissolution in natural solvents and their conversion into eco-friendly thermal coatings

The increasing production and consumption of non-biodegradable plastics in recent years have posed a serious challenge to the environment and waste management systems. in this study, a green approach was proposed for recycling three widely used polymers: polypropylene (pp), polyethylene (pe), and polystyrene (ps). natural and renewable solvents, including d-limonene and α-pinene, were employed as dissolution media for the polymers. to prepare nanocomposites, copper nanowires were incorporated into the polymer matrices after the dissolution process to enhance the thermal conductivity of the resulting materials. the results revealed that the recycled polymers containing copper nanowires formed homogeneous and compact structures, leading to improved thermal transport pathways within the matrix. thermal conductivity analysis showed that the thermal conductivities of pure pp, pe, and ps at room temperature were 0.22, 0.35, and 0.15 w/m·k, respectively. with the addition of 1 wt.% cu nanowires, these values increased to 0.51, 0.82, and 0.42 w/m·k, corresponding to an enhancement of approximately 130–180% compared to the neat polymers. this remarkable improvement was attributed to the formation of continuous thermally conductive networks by the cu nanowires within the polymer matrices. the resulting coatings derived from plastic waste exhibited thermal performance comparable to conventional commercial materials, while remaining eco-friendly, lightweight, and cost-effective. this study demonstrates that the dissolution technology using natural solvents provides an efficient pathway for recycling plastics and converting them into environmentally friendly building materials, representing a practical step toward circular economy and plastic pollution reduction.