recycling of the green solvent α-pinene from waste polypropylene solution in the dissolution and recasting process: a sustainable approach to plastic waste management

In this study, α-pinene, a bio-based green solvent, was employed for the dissolution of waste polypropylene (pp) to achieve a physical recycling process with minimal environmental impact. after dissolving polypropylene in α-pinene and performing the casting process, a major portion of the solvent was dispersed in an antisolvent medium. the primary objective of this research was to recover α-pinene from the antisolvent phase for reuse in the polymer recycling cycle. the recovered solvent was analyzed using fractional distillation and gc–ms techniques. the results revealed that more than 85% of the initial α-pinene could be recovered without any significant change in its chemical structure or solvation properties. therefore, the present process can be proposed as a sustainable, economical, and eco-friendly approach for polypropylene recycling and for reducing the consumption of conventional organic solvents.