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Polymer Chemistry 2018
Polymer Sciences
ISSN: 2471-9935
Page 75
March 26-28, 2018
Vienna, Austria
3
rd
Edition of International Conference and Exhibition on
Polymer Chemistry
T
his work aims to compare different routes of destination
for poly(lactic acid) (PLA): chemical recycling, mechanical
recycling and composting. Relevant environmental impacts
of these alternatives were evaluated using LCA methodology.
Composting and hydrolysis lab scale experiments were
performed inorder toobtain inventory data. Polymerizationdata
in chemical recycling was obtained from computer simulation.
Mechanical recycling data from lab scale were combined with
the data from a plastics commercial mechanical recycling
plant. The SimaPro
®
software was used as a tool to facilitate
the LCA implementation. The database used for background
processes was Ecoinvent 2.2. Two product systems were
considered in this assessment. Restitution product system is
based on the idea of restoring residual PLA, and consequently
the amount that is not recycled should be produced again
through traditional production system. Credit product system
is based on the concept of all recycled PLA is a credit in the
process, since it replaces PLA produced by traditional route.
The different product systems presented similar results.
Mechanical recycling showed the lowest environmental
impacts, followed by the chemical recycling and composting.
Electricity consumption exhibited the highest impacts between
the inputs for chemical and mechanical recycling of PLA. The
results are coherent since the recycling alternatives permit to
obtain polymer as an output. On the other hand, no polymer
is produced in composting, since the final product is only the
compost.
Biography
Marina F Cosate de Andrade is A Chemical Engineer (2011) and holds a
Master’s in Chemical Engineering (2015) from the School of Chemical En-
gineering (FEQ)/University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Currently, she is a PhD
student in Chemical Engineering at the Department of Materials Engineer-
ing and Bioprocess (DEMBio) of FEQ/UNICAMP. She has developed projects
in mechanical and chemical recycling of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and its life
cycle evaluation (LCA) and PLA polymerization by direct polycondensation
using chain extender. Besides, she also worked with 3D printing of PLA and
poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposites. Her research inter-
ests are in the field of Biopolymers, Recycling, Life Cycle Assessment, 3D
Printing and Nanocomposites..
marinacosate@gmail.comLife cycle assessment of poly (lactic acid) (PLA):
comparison between chemical recycling, mechanical
recycling and composting
Marina F Cosate de Andrade
1
, Patrícia M S Souza
1
, Otávio Cavalett
2
and
Ana R
Morales
1
1
University of Campinas, Brazil
2
Laboratório Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Bioetanol, Brazil
Marina F Cosate de Andrade et al., Polym Sci, Volume 4
DOI: 10.4172/2471-9935-C1-008