ORS9-1065
Two piles of waste, many solutions: From landfill to value added materials
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Sep 29, 2026
16:15 - 16:30
Room 313
Session Chairs
Jeyoung PARK
Presenter(s)
Christian Schmitt (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
This work presents strategies for upcycling textile waste and sulfur waste into functional polymers and composites.
First, cellulose is extracted from waste textiles and chemically functionalised using a more sustainable approach compared with conventional industrial methods. The resulting modified cellulose serves as a precursor for hydrogel formation, enabling applications in wound dressings and can further be processed via 3D-printing, paving the way for patient‑specific medical treatments and customisable biomaterials.
Second, elemental sulfur is transformed through inverse vulcanisation, a process that enables copolymerisation with a wide range of monomers. This method allows the tuning of thermal, optical, and mechanical properties of sulfur‑rich polymers for applications in areas such as optics, energy storage, and environmental remediation. Despite growing interest in these materials, their long‑term stability under realistic environmental conditions remains insufficiently studied. To address this gap, we systematically expose polymers derived from both fossil‑based and renewable monomers to heat, radiation, moisture, pH variations, and biological attack. By correlating structural changes with performance degradation, we provide a comprehensive understanding of their ageing behaviour and durability.
Finally, we combine both waste streams by incorporating textile fibers as filler materials into inverse vulcanised polymers. While sulfur polymers synthesised from renewable (used) vegetable oils offer low environmental impact and simple processing, they typically suffer from poor mechanical strength. Introducing textile‑derived fillers, along with additional crosslinkers, substantially enhances their structural integrity and broadens their potential applications. Importantly, these composites remain reprocessable at their end‑of‑life, supporting circular material flows.
First, cellulose is extracted from waste textiles and chemically functionalised using a more sustainable approach compared with conventional industrial methods. The resulting modified cellulose serves as a precursor for hydrogel formation, enabling applications in wound dressings and can further be processed via 3D-printing, paving the way for patient‑specific medical treatments and customisable biomaterials.
Second, elemental sulfur is transformed through inverse vulcanisation, a process that enables copolymerisation with a wide range of monomers. This method allows the tuning of thermal, optical, and mechanical properties of sulfur‑rich polymers for applications in areas such as optics, energy storage, and environmental remediation. Despite growing interest in these materials, their long‑term stability under realistic environmental conditions remains insufficiently studied. To address this gap, we systematically expose polymers derived from both fossil‑based and renewable monomers to heat, radiation, moisture, pH variations, and biological attack. By correlating structural changes with performance degradation, we provide a comprehensive understanding of their ageing behaviour and durability.
Finally, we combine both waste streams by incorporating textile fibers as filler materials into inverse vulcanised polymers. While sulfur polymers synthesised from renewable (used) vegetable oils offer low environmental impact and simple processing, they typically suffer from poor mechanical strength. Introducing textile‑derived fillers, along with additional crosslinkers, substantially enhances their structural integrity and broadens their potential applications. Importantly, these composites remain reprocessable at their end‑of‑life, supporting circular material flows.
