Recycling of Polyurethane Foams

Professor Sabu Thomas is the Director of Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He is also currently the Chairman of the Trivandrum Engineering Science and Technology Research Park (TrESPARK), Trivandrum, Kerala, India. He was the former Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. Prof. Thomas is a highly committed teacher and a remarkably active researcher well-known nationally and internationally for his outstanding contributions in polymer science and nanotechnology. He has published over 1400 research articles in international refereed journals. and has also edited and written 210 books. His H-index is 140 and total citations are more than 94,000. He has supervised 125 PhD theses. He has received many international and national awards and recognitions. Under the leadership of Prof. Thomas, Mahatma Gandhi University has been transformed into a top University in India. Ajay Vasudeo Rane (Dr.) is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Durban University of Technology. His areas of research include structural, mechanical, and morphological properties of materials (specially polymer composite materials). Dr. Ajay Vasudeo Rane is a member of the Royal Society of South Africa, the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering, affiliate member of the South African Institution of Chemical Engineers and, a member of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has edited five books and has contributed book chapters and technical manuscripts in peer reviewed journals and presented research works at national and international conferences. Krishnan Kanny (Dr./Prof.) is currently Director and Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Durban University of Technology, South Africa. He is also the Director of the Composites Research Group. Professor Kanny holds a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA. Prof Kanny is a registered Professional Technologist (Pr. Tech. Eng) with The Engineering Council of South Africa and holds professional memberships with: the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers (SaiMech.E), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronomics (AIAA) and is an NRF rated scientist category C1. Krishnan Kanny is a professional engineer and scientist with over thirty years’ experience in management, leadership, and human resources development. Additionally, he has over twenty-five years of research experience in manufacturing, robotics, and advanced engineering materials as well as extensive experience in mechanical engineering product, process and system design including development, implementation, and commissioning. Krishnan Kanny’s professional interests include designing, processing, and testing of composite materials systems, reinforced thermosets/ thermoplastics, and nano-infused structures for aerospace, naval and automotive applications. He also has extensive experience on failure analyses including computational and analytical modeling and characterization & Morphological analysis including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Abitha V.K. is a Senior Research Fellow at the School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Her areas of research include rubber, polymer blends, fibre filled polymer composites, particulate filled polymer composites and their morphological and structural characterization. Dr. Abitha has written several book chapters, and has co-edited three books with Elsevier. Martin George Thomas is a research student at the International and Interuniversity Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Kottayam, Kerala, currently performing research into the areas of epoxy nanocomposites.

1. Introduction to polymers 2. Polyurethane foam chemistry 3. Recycling techniques 4. Economic and environmental impact of plastic wastes, management of plastic wastes, mechanical recycling, feedstock recycling, sorting and separation of mixed plastics, future trends in plastic waste management 5. Degradation vs. Decomposition 6. Introduction to chemical depolymerization 7. Chemical depolymerization of polyurethane foam via glycolysis 8. Chemical depolymerization of polyurethane foam via hydrolysis 9. Chemical depolymerization of polyurethane foam via ammonolysis and aminolysis 10. Chemical depolymerization of polyurethane foam via combined chemolysis methods 11. Life cycle analysis of polyurethane foam wastes 12. Applications of chemically depolymerized polyurethane foam 13. Applications of mechanically grounded polyurethane foam