Flexible laminated metals (LMs) made
of multilayer polymers and
metals are favorable for packaging materials due to their flexibility,
low cost, durability, and resistance to corrosion and breaking. However,
the complexities of recycling these multimaterials means they are
usually deposited in a landfill and hazardous for the environment.
This research explores thermal disengagement technology (TDT)an
innovative and effective technique for recycling hazardous multilayer
materials irrespective of their type and qualities. This process successfully
extracted high-quality metals from the accrued metals and polymers.
The surface oxidation of the recycled metals was low, and the loss
of metal quantity was insignificant. A small amount of CO2 and a significant amount of fuel gases (H2 and CH4) were released during the process. This study also investigated
the synthesis of biofuel during the thermal degradation of the laminated
polymers. The emitted gas was analyzed with a gas chromatograph-mass
spectrometer (GC-MC) and found to consist mainly of aromatic compounds.
This research shows that TDT could be used to effectively and economically
recycle any kind of market-available flexible metal–polymer
multilayer material. This will improve its environmental sustainability
by reducing landfill waste as well as the economic benefits of recovering
valuable metals and fuel gases.