Recycling Techniques and Design strategies for Plastics and Metals

The thesis focuses on sustainable material recovery methods and circular economy. It also examines the constraints of the traditional recycling techniques involved in the recycling of plastics and metals and realize the prospects of state-of-the-art technologies to enhance recycling efficiency and minimize the environmental impact. The role of Design for Recycling (DfR) and Design for Disassembly (DfD) is discussed which enhances the material recovery especially, for the functionally graded materials (FGMs) and multi-material components which bear recyclability limitations. Mono material and the multi-material design are studied comparatively which shows the balance between performance, cost and end of life management. It has been concluded that there is a dire need for technological advancements, regulatory framework and sustainable design strategies to improve recycling efficiency. In addition to that, there should be modern industries that must be equipped with advanced recycling processes. Lastly, there must be policy driven initiatives to encourage circular material use.