Proposta de plano de reciclagem do isopor em São Carlos através da utilização do d-limoneno como estratégia para economia circular

Abstract

The growing concern about the disposal of plastic waste and its adverse environmental effects drives the search for more efficient and sustainable recycling solutions. In this context, this paper proposed a recycling plan for expanded polystyrene (EPS) in São Carlos, focusing on the dimensioning of the dissolution process in d-limonene, separation and recovery of the solvent, aiming to reduce the environmental impact associated with its production and inappropriate disposal. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, modeling and simulations were executed in the Aspen Plus software, considering different evaporator pressures (0.1 bar and 0.01 bar) to achieve the required theoretical separation. The results indicated that the high vacuum configuration (0.01 bar) was the only one capable of achieving the ideal purity in the recycled EPS stream (0.4% residual solvent by weight), demanding strict pressure and temperature control to ensure the effectiveness of the separation. Although challenging, the results proved promising, particularly regarding the reduced environmental impact of this type of recycling when compared to the virgin resin production or to mechanical recycling.