Closing the Loop: Recovering Value from End-of-Use Polyurethane Screens for Circular Economy
摘要
Polyurethane (PU) is a widely used polymer in mining and aggregation industries due to its excellent mechanical and chemical properties. In the United States alone, thousands of kilotons of PU enter waste streams each year, yet only a small percentage is recycled and returned to the market, raising critical environmental and human health concerns. One US-based mining company, for example, discards approximately 6,000 end-of-use (EoU) PU screening panels annually, totaling around 50 tons of landfill waste. Despite its functional efficacy, these panels are discarded at the EoU generating enormous industrial waste as PU cannot be remelted or recast. To address this issue, this paper explores circular strategies for repurposing these discarded PU panels to extend their life cycle and reduce waste. It offers insight into how EoU products from one industry can be effectively adapted for applications in another sector, supported by relevant analysis. Ultimately, this work supports the circular economy (CE) by mitigating environmental impacts, preserving resources, and proposing an economically viable repurposing business model.