ABSTRACT
The fate of polymers in nature seems to present an inconsistent problem at times; most polymers are designed and manufactured to resist environmental degradation (photodegradation, hydrolysis, oxidation, biodegradation, etc.) but are used for protective and/or structural purposes. Increasing awareness of solid waste management problems has led to the insist for polymers that do not have an unsafe collision on the environment during any part of their life cycles. The corresponding recycling of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen elements as well as of energy through reprocessing and biological and chemical conversion should be taken advantage of in polymer design. Recycling is a crucial area of research in Green Polymer Chemistry. Various developments in recycling are driven by environmental concerns, interest in sustainability and desire to decrease the dependence on nonrenewable petroleum-based materials. Polyurethane foams (PUF) are widely used due to their light weight and superior heat insulation as well as good mechanical properties. As per survey carried out by Polyurethane Foam Association, 12 metric tonnes of PUF are discharged during manufacturing and/or processing and hence recycling of PUF is necessary for better economics and ecological reasons. Hence we propose a write up describing various methods to recycle PUF.
