Sustainable recycling and upgrading of waste polytetrafluoroethylene: Current progress and prospect

Abstract

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a versatile and high-performance fluoropolymer, has been widely applied to chemical industries, electronics and various other fields. However, owing precisely to the extensive and specialized range of its applications, the challenge of recycling PTFE has intensified, exerting considerable pressure and posing potential hazards to the ecological environment. Hence, the critical review presents a comprehensive and methodical overview of the current landscape of PTFE recycling technologies. It delves into an in-depth analysis of the strengths, limitations, and potential applications of each technology. Commencing with a comprehensive summary of research into mechanical recycling and radiation cracking of PTFE, the review subsequently emphasizes and explores the technological advancements in recovering monomers via PTFE pyrolysis, along with the innovative in-situ utilization of fluorine and carbon atoms for the synthesis of fluorine-containing chemicals and materials. Furthermore, the existing challenges confronting chemical recycling technologies for waste PTFE have been thoroughly discussed, and the promising prospects for the advancement of recycling technologies in the future have been outlined. It's anticipated that continuous research exploration and reasonable policy formulation will vigorously promote the development of more environmentally sustainable and economically feasible chemical upgrading technologies, thereby accelerating the process of industrializing the utilization of waste PTFE resources.