Converting plastic waste into valuable resources: a new step in recycling technology

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00289-025-05846-9

This work aimed to address the environmental challenge of plastic waste disposal by exploring an innovative recycling technology to convert this PET waste into valuable and efficient resources. This technology has been used to convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into nanofibers with unique properties and diverse applications. The study relied on the use of unconventional cutting methods to reduce the waste into small pieces and produce by-products in the form of nanofibers. The analyses were carried out using techniques such as SEM, FTIR, XRD and DSC, in addition to testing the tensile properties and dielectric constant of the resulting nanofibers according to the ASTM D 882 and ASTM D150. The results of SEM analysis showed that the diameters of the nanofibers were between 400 and 600 nm without changing the chemical composition according to the FTIR analysis, while the XRD analysis showed an amorphous structure of the nanofibers. The DSC results also confirmed better thermal stability of these fibers compared to powdered PET, and the nanofibers exhibited the highest tensile strength and lowest dielectric constant. The present study finds that the current new innovative technology for converting polyethylene terephthalate into nanofibers by means of an unconventional cutting process offers an economical and sustainable solution with lower costs and higher efficiency than the conventional methods and has not been studied before. It also improves recycling and nanotechnology, opening up new horizons for innovation.