Recycling, as a topic, encompasses the collection, separation, processing, and reintroduction of post-consumer or post-industrial materials into manufacturing cycles to displace primary raw resources. Scientifically, it involves material-specific pathways such as mechanical and chemical recycling for polymers, re-smelting and refining for metals, and deinking and pulping for paper fibers. Research addresses process efficiency, contamination control, life cycle assessment (LCA), and system-level optimization of material flows within circular economy frameworks. Key metrics include recovery rates, material quality retention, embodied energy, and net environmental impact relative to landfilling, incineration, or virgin-material production.
The Politecnico di Milano, coordinator of the WORLD—Waste Oils RecycLe and Development project, proposes an innovative, circular and sustainable process to turn used vegetable oil into a valuable resource.
Environment
Mar 21, 2025
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41
Battery waste is a serious environmental problem: It contains substances that pose a threat to both human health and ecosystems. At the same time, however, batteries also contain valuable materials such as nickel, which we ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 4, 2025
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60
We have developed a breakthrough method to convert carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from vehicular emissions into high-performance electrocatalysts. This innovation provides a sustainable approach to pollution management and energy ...
In a significant step toward creating a sustainable and circular economy, Rice University researchers have published a study in the journal Carbon demonstrating that carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers can be fully recycled without ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 13, 2025
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121
Researchers have discovered a way to recycle the tiny particles used to create supraparticle lasers, a technology that precisely controls light at a very small scale. The breakthrough could help manage these valuable materials ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 26, 2024
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41
Cornell researchers have developed an elegant and sustainable way to clean up waterways: reusing one waste product to remove another.
Nanomaterials
Nov 14, 2024
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30
Astronauts on the International Space Station generate their share of garbage, filling up cargo ships that then deorbit and burn up in the atmosphere. Now Sierra Space has won a contract to build a trash compactor for the ...
Space Exploration
Nov 11, 2024
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53
Reducing the environmental impact caused by plastics can be addressed through different strategies, such as the manufacture of more durable plastics or recycling. In general, there are two main types of plastics. The first ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 30, 2024
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76
As the use of electronic devices continues to rise, the management of electronic waste (e-waste) has become a critical issue. Printed circuit board (PCB) recycling methods are generally classified into physical and chemical ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 18, 2024
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61
In a global first, University of Waterloo researchers have used 3D imaging technology to understand the fine details of microplastics, paving the way for more effective methods of plastic waste recycling.
Nanomaterials
Sep 5, 2024
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85
