Recent Advances in Polycarbonate Recycling: A Review of Degradation Methods and Their Mechanisms

Polycarbonate, poly(bisphenol A carbonate), PC, is an important engineering polymer with a variety of optical and technical applications, whose demand is increasing year by year. Its consumption in 2008 was estimated to have reached 3.3 Mt and to increase by a 7 % per year. The three different routes for PC recycling are: direct recycle (mechanical recycling or blending with other materials), treatment via chemical methods and thermo-chemical methods (pyrolysis). The aim of the current review paper is to visit all the available methods for PC recycling and their mechanisms and record their potential and weaknesses. Apart from methods such as pyrolysis and degradation via chemical routes, novel methods, such as decomposition in the presence of enzymes, are been reported. Finally, the main degradation methods of PC blends and WEEEs applications are also been presented.