This glossary covers technical, operational, regulatory, commercial, and sustainability acronyms used in polymer circularity across Chemicals & Advanced Materials. It helps executives, operators, engineers, and advisers working in the Circular Polymers & Chemical Recycling Practice interpret recycling technologies, material specifications, compliance requirements, and performance metrics.
A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U V W X
| A | |
| AA | Acetaldehyde: A volatile degradation product monitored in recycled polyethylene terephthalate, particularly for food and beverage packaging where excessive concentrations can affect taste and odor. |
| ABS | Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene: A durable thermoplastic commonly recovered from automotive parts, appliances, and electronic equipment. Effective recycling requires separation from similar-looking polymers and control of legacy additives. |
| AEPW | Alliance to End Plastic Waste: An industry-supported organization funding and coordinating projects involving plastic-waste collection, sorting, recycling, and circular-economy infrastructure. |
| APR | Association of Plastic Recyclers: A North American trade association that develops design guidance, test protocols, recyclability recognition programs, and specifications supporting plastics recycling. |
| AR | Advanced Recycling: An umbrella term, used especially in North America, for nonmechanical processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerization, and dissolution. Its precise legal meaning varies by jurisdiction. |
| ASR | Automotive Shredder Residue: The mixed nonmetallic fraction remaining after vehicle shredding and metal recovery. It can contain recoverable polymers but presents challenges involving fillers, metals, flame retardants, and heterogeneous composition. |
| ATEX | Atmosphères Explosibles: The European framework governing equipment and workplaces exposed to potentially explosive atmospheres. It is important for facilities handling combustible dusts, vapors, pyrolysis gases, and volatile hydrocarbons. |
| ATR-FTIR | Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: A rapid analytical technique used to identify polymers, coatings, oxidation, and certain contaminants by measuring characteristic infrared absorption at a material’s surface. |
| B | |
| BAT | Best Available Techniques: The most effective and practicable techniques for preventing or reducing industrial emissions under European environmental permitting. Thermal and solvent-based recycling facilities may be required to demonstrate alignment with these techniques. |
| BFR | Brominated Flame Retardant: A class of additives found in some electronics, automotive, and construction plastics. Screening is important because restricted or persistent compounds can limit recyclate applications and complicate thermal processing. |
| BHET | Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate: A monomeric intermediate produced during glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate. It can be purified and repolymerized to make recycled material with properties approaching virgin resin. |
| BOPE | Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene: A stretched polyethylene film used in packaging structures designed to improve strength and barrier performance. Mono-material constructions using this film can support compatibility with polyethylene recycling streams. |
| BOPP | Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene: A widely used packaging film whose coatings, inks, adhesives, and multilayer combinations influence sortability and the quality of recovered polypropylene. |
| BPA | Bisphenol A: A chemical building block associated mainly with polycarbonate and epoxy materials. Its presence and migration are important considerations when recovering polymers for regulated or food-contact applications. |
| BREF | Best Available Techniques Reference Document: A European technical document describing industrial processes, emissions, consumption levels, and associated control techniques used by authorities when setting permit conditions. |
| BTEX | Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes: Volatile aromatic hydrocarbons that may occur in pyrolysis products and facility emissions. Their concentrations affect product value, occupational exposure controls, and environmental compliance. |
| BTX | Benzene, Toluene, and Xylenes: High-value aromatic chemicals that can be recovered or produced from upgraded plastic-derived oils. Yield and purity influence the economics of chemical feedstock substitution. |
| C | |
| CCR | Conradson Carbon Residue: A measure of the coke-forming tendency of an oil under specified heating conditions. It helps assess whether plastic-derived oil is suitable for refinery or steam-cracker processing. |
| C&D | Construction and Demolition: A waste-source category containing items such as pipes, insulation, flooring, membranes, and profiles. Recovery depends on effective separation from minerals, wood, metals, and hazardous building materials. |
| CE | Circular Economy: An economic model that seeks to retain products and materials at their highest practical value through reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling while minimizing waste and virgin-resource consumption. |
| CEFLEX | Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging: A European collaborative initiative developing design guidance and systems approaches intended to improve the collection, sorting, and recycling of flexible packaging. |
| CEN | European Committee for Standardization: The standards body responsible for numerous European specifications covering plastics recyclates, traceability, characterization, sampling, and recycled content. |
| C&I | Commercial and Industrial: A waste-source category that often provides cleaner and more homogeneous plastic streams than household collection. Contracts for these materials can be important sources of reliable recycling feedstock. |
| CO2e | Carbon Dioxide Equivalent: A common unit that expresses the warming impact of different greenhouse gases on a comparable basis. It is used to quantify the life-cycle emissions of collection, recycling, processing, and displaced virgin production. |
| CoC | Chain of Custody: The documented system linking material inputs to product claims as materials move through collection, processing, conversion, and sale. Models include segregation, controlled blending, mass balance, and book-and-claim approaches. |
| CPA | Circular Plastics Alliance: A European stakeholder initiative focused on increasing the uptake of recycled plastics through design, collection, sorting, recycling, standardization, and market-development commitments. |
| CPL | Caprolactam: The principal monomer used to manufacture polyamide 6. Depolymerization processes can recover it from suitable waste streams for purification and repolymerization. |
| CR | Chemical Recycling: Processes that use chemical, thermal, or solvent-based methods to convert polymer waste into monomers, chemical feedstocks, fuels, or purified polymers. Classification and acceptable outputs vary across regulatory and certification systems. |
| CSTR | Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor: A continuously fed and mixed reactor configuration used in some dissolution, solvolysis, and depolymerization processes to control residence time, temperature, and reaction consistency. |
| D | |
| DfR | Design for Recycling: The practice of designing products and packaging so they can be collected, sorted, processed, and converted into usable secondary materials at scale. |
| DEHP | Bis(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate: A legacy plasticizer associated particularly with flexible polyvinyl chloride. Restrictions on its use can limit outlets for recyclate and require screening or controlled-loop applications. |
| DMA | Dynamic Mechanical Analysis: A testing method that measures viscoelastic behavior as a function of temperature, time, or frequency. It helps evaluate how recycling, contamination, and repeated processing affect polymer performance. |
| DMS | Dense Media Separation: A density-based process that separates materials in a liquid medium of controlled density. It can improve polymer purity when simple sink-float separation is insufficient. |
| DMT | Dimethyl Terephthalate: A polyester monomer or intermediate recoverable through methanolysis of polyethylene terephthalate. After purification, it can re-enter polyester production. |
| DPP | Digital Product Passport: A structured digital record intended to provide information on product composition, origin, repairability, recyclability, and other lifecycle attributes under emerging European product rules. |
| DRS | Deposit Return System: A collection mechanism that adds a refundable deposit to beverage containers or other products. Well-designed systems can provide high capture rates and relatively clean material for closed-loop recycling. |
| DSC | Differential Scanning Calorimetry: A thermal-analysis method used to measure melting, crystallization, glass transition, and related properties. It supports polymer identification and assessment of recyclate composition and processing history. |
| E | |
| ECHA | European Chemicals Agency: The European Union agency administering major chemical regulations and substance databases. Its classifications and guidance affect recycled materials, pyrolysis oils, additives, and substances of concern. |
| EFSA | European Food Safety Authority: The European Union body that evaluates the safety of recycling processes and materials intended for food contact, including decontamination performance and potential contaminant migration. |
| EG | Ethylene Glycol: A principal monomer used in polyethylene terephthalate production and recovered in several depolymerization routes. Purity is critical when it is returned to polymer manufacturing. |
| ELT | End-of-Life Tire: A tire removed permanently from service and directed to reuse, retreading, material recovery, pyrolysis, or energy recovery. These tires are a major source of rubber, steel, textile fiber, oil, and recovered carbon black. |
| ELV | End-of-Life Vehicle: A vehicle designated as waste and processed for depollution, dismantling, and material recovery. Its plastic fraction requires separation by polymer type and management of coatings, fillers, and restricted additives. |
| EN 15343 | European Standard 15343, Plastics—Recycled Plastics—Plastics Recycling Traceability and Assessment of Conformity and Recycled Content: A key European standard for demonstrating traceability, conformity, and recycled content across plastics recycling supply chains. |
| EoL | End of Life: The stage at which a product or material is no longer used for its original purpose. Decisions at this point determine whether it is reused, recycled, recovered for energy, or disposed of. |
| EoW | End of Waste: The regulatory point at which a recovered material ceases to be legally classified as waste after meeting specified criteria. This status can materially affect permitting, transport, market access, and customer acceptance. |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency: A government authority responsible for environmental regulation and enforcement. In the United States, its rules influence waste classification, emissions, chemicals management, and recycling claims. |
| EPBP | European PET Bottle Platform: An industry platform that evaluates packaging technologies and publishes design guidelines intended to protect the performance of European polyethylene terephthalate recycling systems. |
| EPD | Environmental Product Declaration: A standardized, independently verified disclosure of a product’s quantified lifecycle environmental impacts. It can support comparison of virgin, mechanically recycled, and chemically recycled material options. |
| EPR | Extended Producer Responsibility: A policy approach that makes producers financially or operationally responsible for products and packaging after use. Fees, recycled-content incentives, and design requirements can reshape recycling economics and material choices. |
| EPS | Expanded Polystyrene: A lightweight cellular material used in protective packaging, insulation, and food service. Its low bulk density makes collection costly, so densification or dissolution is often needed before recycling. |
| ESPR | Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation: The European Union framework establishing product sustainability requirements, including durability, recycled content, information disclosure, and digital product passports for designated product groups. |
| EuCertPlast | European Certification of Plastics Recyclers: A certification scheme that audits plastics recycling operations for traceability, operational controls, input and output reporting, and conformity with relevant European requirements. |
| EVA | Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate: A flexible copolymer used in films, foams, footwear, adhesives, and photovoltaic encapsulants. Its presence can affect compatibility, odor, and thermal behavior in mixed-polyolefin recycling. |
| EVOH | Ethylene-Vinyl Alcohol: A high-barrier copolymer used in multilayer packaging. Thin, compatible layers may be tolerated in some recycling streams, while higher concentrations can impair recycled-polymer properties. |
| EWC | European Waste Catalogue: The commonly used name for the European classification system assigning codes to waste types. Correct coding affects permits, shipment documentation, reporting, and treatment obligations. |
| F | |
| FBR | Fluidized-Bed Reactor: A reactor in which gas or liquid suspends solid particles to promote heat and mass transfer. It is used in some pyrolysis and gasification systems for relatively uniform temperature control. |
| FCC | Fluid Catalytic Cracking: A refinery process that converts heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks into lighter products using a circulating catalyst. Suitably treated plastic-derived oils may be co-processed, subject to contaminant and quality limits. |
| FCM | Food Contact Material: Any material intended to contact food during production, storage, transport, sale, or consumption. Recycled polymers for these applications must satisfy strict composition, decontamination, migration, and manufacturing requirements. |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration: The United States authority overseeing food-contact substances and related safety requirements. It reviews recycling processes and may issue no-objection letters supporting specified recycled-plastic uses. |
| FIBC | Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container: A woven polymer bulk bag used to transport powders, flakes, pellets, and other materials. Used bags can form a recyclable polypropylene stream when contamination and previous contents are controlled. |
| FTIR | Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: An analytical method used to identify polymer families, degradation products, and selected contaminants through their infrared spectra. It is widely applied in feedstock and recyclate quality control. |
| G | |
| GC-MS | Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: An analytical technique that separates and identifies volatile or semivolatile compounds. It is used to characterize pyrolysis products, odors, additives, contaminants, and residual solvents. |
| GHG | Greenhouse Gas: A gas that contributes to climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Emissions accounting is central to comparing recycling routes with virgin production, incineration, and disposal. |
| GMP | Good Manufacturing Practice: Documented manufacturing controls intended to ensure consistent quality, hygiene, traceability, and regulatory compliance. These controls are especially important for recycled materials entering food-contact or sensitive applications. |
| GPC | Gel Permeation Chromatography: A form of size-exclusion chromatography used to determine polymer molecular-weight distribution. It helps quantify chain degradation, rebuilding, and batch consistency in recyclates. |
| GRS | Global Recycled Standard: A voluntary certification covering recycled-content verification, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions across qualifying supply chains. |
| GWP | Global Warming Potential: A factor comparing the heat-trapping effect of a greenhouse gas with carbon dioxide over a defined time horizon. It converts different emissions into a common climate-impact measure. |
| H | |
| HAZOP | Hazard and Operability Study: A structured process-safety review that examines deviations from intended operating conditions. It is important for thermal, pressure, solvent, and reactive systems used in chemical recycling. |
| HDO | Hydrodeoxygenation: A catalytic treatment using hydrogen to remove oxygen from hydrocarbon streams. It can improve the stability and refinery compatibility of oils produced from oxygen-containing plastic feedstocks. |
| HDPE | High-Density Polyethylene: A widely recycled thermoplastic used in bottles, closures, crates, drums, and pipes. Color, odor, additives, melt flow, and food-contact history strongly influence recyclate value. |
| HDS | Hydrodesulfurization: A catalytic hydrogen treatment that removes sulfur compounds from hydrocarbon streams. It may be required when plastic-derived oils contain sulfur from feedstock contaminants or additives. |
| HHV | Higher Heating Value: The total heat released by complete combustion, including heat recovered from condensing water vapor. It is used in energy balances for pyrolysis gas, oils, residues, and rejected feedstock. |
| HIPS | High-Impact Polystyrene: Rubber-modified polystyrene used in appliances, electronics, packaging, and consumer products. Recycling requires control of other styrenics, flame retardants, pigments, and incompatible polymers. |
| HSI | Hyperspectral Imaging: A sensor-based sorting method that combines spatial images with detailed spectral data. It can improve identification of polymers, colors, multilayer structures, and contaminants on high-speed sorting lines. |
| HTL | Hydrothermal Liquefaction: A thermochemical process using hot, pressurized water to convert suitable waste into liquid products. It can treat wet or mixed feedstocks without the extensive drying required by conventional pyrolysis. |
| I | |
| IBP | Initial Boiling Point: The temperature at which the first distillate is obtained during a specified distillation test. It helps characterize the volatility and usable boiling range of plastic-derived oils. |
| ICP-MS | Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry: A highly sensitive method for measuring trace metals and other elements. It supports contaminant control for feedstocks, recyclates, oils, catalysts, and process residues. |
| ICP-OES | Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry: An elemental-analysis technique used to quantify metals, catalyst residues, pigments, fillers, and contaminants at concentrations relevant to product quality and equipment protection. |
| ISCC PLUS | International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS: A voluntary certification system used to verify traceability and sustainability claims for circular, recycled, and bio-based feedstocks, including mass-balance attribution through complex chemical supply chains. |
| ISO 14021 | Environmental Labels and Declarations—Self-Declared Environmental Claims: The international standard specifying requirements for claims such as recycled content and recyclable. It supports more consistent claim wording, calculation, and substantiation. |
| ISO 14040 | Environmental Management—Life Cycle Assessment—Principles and Framework: The international standard defining the foundational principles and structure for lifecycle assessment studies. |
| ISO 14044 | Environmental Management—Life Cycle Assessment—Requirements and Guidelines: The international standard establishing detailed requirements for goal and scope, inventory analysis, impact assessment, interpretation, reporting, and critical review. |
| ISO 14067 | Greenhouse Gases—Carbon Footprint of Products—Requirements and Guidelines for Quantification: The international standard used to quantify and report product carbon footprints consistently with lifecycle-assessment principles. |
| ISO 15270 | Plastics—Guidelines for the Recovery and Recycling of Plastics Waste: The international standard providing guidance on plastics-waste recovery options, quality considerations, terminology, and recycling system development. |
| ISO 22095 | Chain of Custody—General Terminology and Models: The international standard defining traceability models including identity preservation, segregation, controlled blending, mass balance, and book and claim. |
| IV | Intrinsic Viscosity: A solution-viscosity measure related to polymer molecular weight. It is a critical quality parameter for polyethylene terephthalate flakes, pellets, bottles, fibers, and solid-state polycondensation processes. |
| L | |
| LCA | Life Cycle Assessment: A structured method for evaluating environmental impacts across a product or process lifecycle. It is used to compare recycling technologies with virgin production and alternative end-of-life routes. |
| LCI | Life Cycle Inventory: The quantified compilation of material, energy, emission, and waste flows for the system being assessed. Reliable feedstock, yield, utility, and substitution data are essential for credible results. |
| LCIA | Life Cycle Impact Assessment: The stage that translates inventory flows into environmental-impact indicators such as climate change, resource use, acidification, and human toxicity. |
| LDPE | Low-Density Polyethylene: A flexible thermoplastic widely used in films, bags, coatings, and squeeze packaging. Film recovery requires effective collection, washing, drying, and removal of labels, inks, adhesives, and other polymers. |
| LEL | Lower Explosive Limit: The lowest concentration of a combustible gas or vapor in air that can propagate flame. Monitoring is important around reactors, oil storage, gas handling, and solvent-recovery systems. |
| LHV | Lower Heating Value: The heat released by combustion when water remains as vapor. It is commonly used for process-energy balances and valuation of noncondensable gas or fuel products. |
| LIBS | Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: A rapid elemental-analysis technique that can identify fillers, pigments, halogens, metals, and additive markers for automated sorting or quality control. |
| LLDPE | Linear Low-Density Polyethylene: A tough, flexible polymer widely used in films and stretch wrap. It is often recovered with other polyethylene grades, with blend composition affecting processing and final properties. |
| LOI | Loss on Ignition: The mass lost when a sample is heated under defined conditions. It is used to estimate volatile, organic, ash, filler, or carbonaceous fractions in feedstocks and residues. |
| M | |
| MAP | Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis: A thermal-conversion approach that uses microwave energy to heat waste, often through a microwave-absorbing medium. Potential advantages include rapid and selective heating, though scale-up and energy efficiency are critical. |
| MB | Mass Balance: A chain-of-custody model that tracks certified inputs and allocates corresponding attributes to outputs within defined system boundaries, conversion rules, and accounting periods. |
| MCI | Material Circularity Indicator: A metric assessing how restorative a product’s material flows are by considering virgin input, recycled input, recovery after use, utility, and material losses. |
| MCR | Micro Carbon Residue: A laboratory measure of an oil’s tendency to form carbonaceous residue during high-temperature processing. It is often used to qualify plastic-derived oil for downstream refining. |
| MFA | Material Flow Analysis: A systematic accounting of material stocks and flows within a defined geography, value chain, or facility. It helps identify collection gaps, losses, recycling yields, and infrastructure needs. |
| MFI | Melt Flow Index: A commonly used term for the mass of molten thermoplastic flowing through a standard die under specified conditions. It provides a practical indication of processability and polymer degradation. |
| MFR | Melt Mass-Flow Rate: The standardized mass-based measure of polymer flow through a capillary die at a specified temperature and load. It is routinely used to grade and control recycled thermoplastics. |
| MLP | Multilayer Plastic: Packaging or another article made from multiple bonded material layers. Incompatible polymers, aluminum, coatings, and adhesives can make mechanical recycling difficult and motivate delamination, dissolution, or chemical conversion. |
| MPW | Mixed Plastic Waste: A heterogeneous feedstock containing multiple polymer types and often nonplastic contamination. Composition variability is a central challenge for sorting, process control, product quality, and plant economics. |
| MR | Mechanical Recycling: The physical processing of plastic waste through steps such as sorting, washing, shredding, melting, filtration, compounding, and pelletizing without intentionally breaking polymers into monomers. |
| MRF | Materials Recovery Facility: A facility that sorts collected waste or recyclables into marketable material fractions. Capture efficiency, bale quality, contamination, and sorting technology directly influence recycling yields. |
| MSW | Municipal Solid Waste: Household and similar commercial waste managed by municipal systems. Its plastic fraction is abundant but often contaminated and compositionally variable. |
| MVR | Melt Volume-Flow Rate: The volume of molten thermoplastic passing through a standard die under specified conditions. It is useful when material density varies or when comparing filled and unfilled recyclates. |
| N | |
| NIAS | Non-Intentionally Added Substances: Chemicals present through impurities, degradation, reactions, contamination, or process carryover rather than deliberate formulation. Their identification and risk assessment are important for recycled food-contact materials. |
| NIR | Near-Infrared: A spectroscopy-based sorting technology that identifies many polymers from their reflected spectral signatures. Performance can be limited by black pigments, dirt, multilayers, moisture, and closely related materials. |
| NMR | Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: An analytical method used to determine molecular structure, composition, branching, copolymer ratios, and impurities in polymers, monomers, solvents, and recycled chemical products. |
| NOL | No Objection Letter: A letter through which the United States food-safety authority indicates that it has no objection to a proposed recycled-plastic use under specified feedstock, process, and application conditions. |
| O | |
| OCS | Operation Clean Sweep: An industry stewardship program focused on preventing plastic pellets, flakes, and powders from entering waterways and the environment through improved containment and handling practices. |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: An intergovernmental organization whose waste-control framework affects certain transboundary movements of recoverable plastics among member countries. |
| OTR | Oxygen Transmission Rate: The rate at which oxygen passes through a material under specified conditions. It is an important performance measure for recycled or redesigned packaging intended to protect oxygen-sensitive products. |
| P | |
| PA | Polyamide: A family of engineering polymers used in films, textiles, automotive components, and industrial products. Moisture sensitivity, grade differences, and incompatibility with polyolefins complicate recycling. |
| PA6 | Polyamide 6: A polyamide produced from caprolactam and used in fibers, films, carpets, and engineering parts. Suitable waste can be mechanically recycled or depolymerized back to monomer. |
| PAH | Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon: A class of multi-ring aromatic compounds that can occur in oils, carbonaceous residues, rubber products, and combustion emissions. Certain members are tightly controlled because of health and environmental hazards. |
| PBAT | Poly(Butylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate): A flexible, industrially compostable polyester frequently blended with other biopolymers. It requires appropriate identification because it is not compatible with conventional polyolefin recycling streams. |
| PBS | Polybutylene Succinate: A biodegradable polyester used in selected packaging, agricultural, and consumer applications. Its end-of-life route depends on formulation, collection infrastructure, and local composting or recycling capability. |
| PBT | Polybutylene Terephthalate: An engineering polyester used in electrical, automotive, and industrial applications. Recovery requires separation from other resins and control of glass fiber, flame retardants, and additives. |
| PC | Polycarbonate: A high-performance thermoplastic used in electronics, glazing, medical products, and durable goods. Recycling options include mechanical reprocessing, dissolution, and depolymerization, subject to additive and contamination controls. |
| PCDD/F | Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Dibenzofurans: Persistent toxic compounds that can form during poorly controlled thermal treatment of chlorine-containing materials. Feedstock management and stringent combustion and flue-gas controls are therefore critical. |
| PCF | Product Carbon Footprint: The greenhouse-gas emissions associated with a product over defined lifecycle stages. Results depend strongly on system boundaries, allocation, recycling yields, energy sources, and assumptions about displaced production. |
| PCR | Post-Consumer Recycled: Material recovered from products after use by households or commercial users and processed into a new feedstock. It is commonly distinguished from manufacturing scrap and post-industrial material. |
| PE | Polyethylene: A major thermoplastic family encompassing high-, low-, and linear low-density grades. It represents a large share of recycled packaging and chemical-recycling feedstock. |
| PEF | Polyethylene Furanoate: A partly or fully bio-based polyester with strong gas-barrier properties. Its introduction into packaging requires identification and compatibility planning for established polyester recycling streams. |
| PEF | Product Environmental Footprint: A European lifecycle-based method for quantifying product environmental performance across multiple impact categories using defined modeling and data-quality rules. |
| PET | Polyethylene Terephthalate: A polyester widely used in beverage bottles, trays, films, fibers, and strapping. It supports established mechanical recycling and several monomer-recovery technologies. |
| PETG | Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol-Modified: A modified copolyester used in packaging, sheets, displays, and shrink labels. Even modest concentrations can create processing and quality problems in conventional bottle-grade polyester recycling. |
| PFAS | Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: A broad class of persistent fluorinated chemicals used in certain coatings, processing aids, and performance applications. Their presence can constrain recyclate uses and create regulatory, analytical, and disposal challenges. |
| PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoate: A family of microbially produced polyesters that can be biodegradable under specified conditions. Collection and treatment systems must distinguish certified end-of-life performance from general claims of biodegradability. |
| PIC | Prior Informed Consent: A procedure requiring notification and consent before certain controlled wastes are shipped across borders. It is relevant to international trade in contaminated, mixed, or difficult-to-recycle plastic waste. |
| PIONA | Paraffins, Isoparaffins, Olefins, Naphthenes, and Aromatics: A hydrocarbon composition classification used to characterize oils and naphtha-like streams. The distribution influences stability, upgrading requirements, and suitability for petrochemical processing. |
| PIR | Post-Industrial Recycled: Material recovered from manufacturing, converting, or distribution operations before reaching a consumer. It is often cleaner and more homogeneous than post-consumer feedstock. |
| PLA | Polylactic Acid: A bio-based polyester used in packaging, fibers, and durable applications. It can be mechanically or chemically recycled in dedicated streams and industrially composted when certified products and infrastructure align. |
| PMMA | Polymethyl Methacrylate: A transparent thermoplastic used in glazing, displays, lighting, and automotive applications. It can be mechanically recycled or depolymerized to recover methyl methacrylate. |
| PO | Polyolefin: The polymer family dominated by polyethylene and polypropylene. Mixed streams are major targets for mechanical recycling, compatibilization, pyrolysis, and other circular processing routes. |
| POPs | Persistent Organic Pollutants: Toxic chemicals that resist degradation, accumulate in organisms, and travel long distances. Regulatory concentration limits can require destruction rather than recycling of contaminated plastics. |
| PP | Polypropylene: A widely used thermoplastic found in packaging, automotive components, household goods, fibers, and industrial products. Sorting by application, color, additives, and melt flow improves recyclate value. |
| PPWD | Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive: The former European Union directive that established packaging recovery, recycling, and essential requirements. It remains relevant to historical targets and compliance systems as the newer regulation is implemented. |
| PPWR | Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: The European Union regulation establishing requirements for packaging design, recyclability, recycled content, labeling, reuse, collection, and waste prevention. |
| PRE | Plastics Recyclers Europe: A European industry association representing plastics recyclers and contributing to technical guidance, market analysis, certification, standards, and recycling policy. |
| PRN | Packaging Recovery Note: A United Kingdom evidence document issued for qualifying quantities of recovered packaging material. Its market value helps finance compliance with producer recycling obligations. |
| PRO | Producer Responsibility Organization: An entity that manages collection, recycling, reporting, and fee administration on behalf of obligated producers under an extended-responsibility program. |
| PS | Polystyrene: A rigid or foamed styrenic polymer used in packaging, insulation, appliances, and consumer products. Recycling routes include mechanical reprocessing, dissolution, and depolymerization to styrene-rich feedstocks. |
| PTA | Purified Terephthalic Acid: A principal feedstock for polyester production. Hydrolysis-derived terephthalic acid must be purified to demanding specifications before re-entering high-quality polymer manufacturing. |
| PUR | Polyurethane: A polymer family used in flexible and rigid foams, coatings, elastomers, adhesives, and insulation. Recovery routes include rebonding, glycolysis, other solvolysis methods, and thermochemical processing. |
| PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride: A chlorine-containing polymer used in pipes, profiles, flooring, cables, and flexible products. It can be recycled in controlled streams but is a problematic contaminant in polyester recycling and pyrolysis feedstock. |
| PVOH | Polyvinyl Alcohol: A water-soluble polymer used in barrier coatings, films, adhesives, and unit-dose products. Its recyclability depends on concentration, formulation, solubility, and compatibility with the receiving process. |
| Py-GC/MS | Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry: An analytical technique that thermally decomposes a small sample and identifies the resulting compounds. It is used for polymer identification and detailed analysis of additives, contaminants, and complex mixtures. |
| R | |
| R1 | Use Principally as a Fuel or Other Means to Generate Energy: A recovery-operation code under the European waste framework. It distinguishes qualifying energy recovery from material recycling and disposal operations. |
| rCB | Recovered Carbon Black: A carbon-rich material obtained primarily from end-of-life tire pyrolysis and subsequently processed for reuse. Quality depends on ash, volatiles, particle structure, surface chemistry, and residual contaminants. |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: The principal United States federal law governing solid and hazardous waste. Waste classification under this law can affect feedstock handling, facility permitting, residues, and chemical-recycling operations. |
| RCS | Recycled Claim Standard: A voluntary chain-of-custody certification that verifies recycled inputs and tracks them through the supply chain without adding broader social or environmental processing requirements. |
| RDF | Refuse-Derived Fuel: A processed combustible waste fraction prepared for energy recovery. Its use is an alternative outlet for unrecycled plastics but does not constitute material recycling. |
| REACH | Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals: The European Union chemicals regulation governing substance registration, communication, authorization, and restrictions. Recyclers must manage obligations involving recovered substances, additives, contaminants, and substances of very high concern. |
| ReMA | Recycled Materials Association: A North American trade association representing processors, brokers, and consumers of recycled commodities. Its specifications and market practices support trade in recovered materials, including plastics. |
| rHDPE | Recycled High-Density Polyethylene: Secondary material produced from recovered high-density polyethylene. Typical specifications address melt flow, density, color, odor, contamination, ash, and application history. |
| RIC | Resin Identification Code: The numbered symbol identifying the broad resin type used in a plastic article. It supports material recognition but does not by itself establish that an item is recyclable in a particular collection system. |
| rLDPE | Recycled Low-Density Polyethylene: Secondary polyethylene produced largely from films and flexible products. Moisture, printing ink, odor, gels, and nonpolyethylene contamination are important quality variables. |
| RoHS | Restriction of Hazardous Substances: European Union rules limiting specified hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Recovered polymers from this stream require controls for restricted flame retardants, metals, and legacy additives. |
| rPET | Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate: Secondary polyester produced from bottles, trays, fibers, or other recovered items. Its applications depend on color, intrinsic viscosity, decontamination, acetaldehyde, and food-contact authorization. |
| rPP | Recycled Polypropylene: Secondary polypropylene produced from recovered packaging, automotive, consumer, or industrial products. Consistent melt flow, impact performance, odor, color, and filler content are key commercial attributes. |
| RSL | Restricted Substances List: A customer, brand, or industry specification identifying chemicals prohibited or limited in materials and products. Recycled feedstocks may require additional testing because their formulation history is less controlled. |
| RVM | Reverse Vending Machine: Automated equipment that accepts eligible containers, identifies them, and issues deposit refunds or rewards. It supports high-quality collection for bottle-to-bottle recycling systems. |
| S | |
| SCW | Supercritical Water: Water held above its critical temperature and pressure, where its solvent and transport properties change substantially. It is used in emerging processes to break down mixed or contaminated polymers. |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet: A standardized document communicating chemical hazards, composition, handling, storage, exposure controls, and emergency measures. Accurate documentation is essential for recycled chemicals, oils, solvents, additives, and residues. |
| SEC | Size-Exclusion Chromatography: An analytical method that separates dissolved polymer molecules by hydrodynamic size. It is used to determine molecular-weight distribution and assess degradation or repolymerization. |
| SEC | Specific Energy Consumption: The energy used per unit of feedstock processed or product produced. It is a key efficiency metric for washing, drying, extrusion, depolymerization, solvent recovery, and thermal conversion. |
| SIMDIS | Simulated Distillation: A chromatographic method that estimates the boiling-range distribution of hydrocarbon mixtures. It is widely used to characterize plastic-derived oils and determine potential refinery fractions. |
| SML | Specific Migration Limit: The maximum permitted amount of a particular substance that may migrate from a food-contact material into food or a food simulant under defined conditions. |
| SRF | Solid Recovered Fuel: A fuel prepared from nonhazardous waste and classified to specified quality parameters. It provides an energy-recovery outlet for combustible fractions not directed to material recycling. |
| SSP | Solid-State Polycondensation: A heat treatment performed below the polymer melting point to increase molecular weight and remove volatile by-products. It is widely used to restore bottle-grade polyester properties. |
| SUPD | Single-Use Plastics Directive: European Union legislation targeting specified single-use plastic products through measures including restrictions, design rules, recycled-content targets, collection targets, labeling, and producer responsibility. |
| SVHC | Substance of Very High Concern: A designation under European chemicals law for substances with serious hazard properties. Their presence can trigger communication, authorization, notification, or use restrictions affecting recycled materials. |
| T | |
| TAN | Total Acid Number: A measure of acidic constituents in an oil, expressed as the amount of potassium hydroxide needed for neutralization. High values can signal corrosion, instability, or upgrading requirements. |
| TDS | Technical Data Sheet: A supplier document reporting material properties, test methods, recommended processing conditions, and typical performance. Buyers use it to qualify recycled flakes, pellets, oils, monomers, and compounds. |
| TGA | Thermogravimetric Analysis: A method that measures mass change as a sample is heated. It helps quantify moisture, volatiles, decomposition behavior, fillers, ash, and carbonaceous residue. |
| TPA | Terephthalic Acid: An aromatic diacid produced by hydrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate and used to manufacture polyester after suitable purification. |
| TPE | Thermoplastic Elastomer: A material combining rubber-like flexibility with thermoplastic processing. Diverse chemistries and soft phases can complicate identification, compatibility, and recycling with rigid plastics. |
| TPU | Thermoplastic Polyurethane: A melt-processable polyurethane used in footwear, films, cables, automotive parts, and consumer goods. Grade-specific collection and controlled reprocessing are important because formulations vary widely. |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act: The principal United States law governing industrial chemicals. It can affect the regulatory status, reporting, manufacture, processing, and use of substances recovered through chemical recycling. |
| TVOC | Total Volatile Organic Compounds: An aggregate measure of volatile organic chemicals in air, emissions, or material testing. It is used to assess odor, indoor-air suitability, process emissions, and recyclate quality. |
| U | |
| UEL | Upper Explosive Limit: The highest concentration of a combustible gas or vapor in air that can propagate flame. It defines the upper boundary of the flammable range for process-safety purposes. |
| UL 2809 | Environmental Claim Validation Procedure for Defined Source Content: A validation procedure used to substantiate claims involving recycled, closed-loop, post-consumer, post-industrial, and other defined-source content. |
| UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme: The United Nations body coordinating global environmental initiatives, including work on plastic pollution, lifecycle approaches, circularity, and international policy negotiations. |
| UVCB | Substances of Unknown or Variable Composition, Complex Reaction Products or Biological Materials: A regulatory category for substances that cannot be fully identified by discrete chemical constituents. Plastic-derived oils may fall within this category because feedstock and product composition can vary. |
| V | |
| VOC | Volatile Organic Compound: An organic chemical that readily enters the vapor phase under relevant conditions. Control is important for emissions, worker exposure, odor, solvent recovery, product safety, and regulatory compliance. |
| W | |
| WEEE | Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Discarded electronic and electrical products containing recoverable engineering plastics alongside metals, glass, and hazardous components. Polymer recovery requires robust sorting and control of restricted flame retardants. |
| WFD | Waste Framework Directive: The foundational European Union legislation defining waste, by-products, end-of-waste status, the waste hierarchy, recycling, and recovery operations. |
| WHSV | Weight Hourly Space Velocity: The mass flow of feed per unit mass of catalyst per hour. It is a key operating parameter for catalytic upgrading of plastic-derived vapors and oils. |
| WtE | Waste-to-Energy: The conversion of waste into useful heat, electricity, or fuel. It is an alternative to material recycling for residual fractions and occupies a lower position in the waste hierarchy. |
| X | |
| XRF | X-Ray Fluorescence: A rapid, nondestructive method for elemental analysis. It is used to detect halogens, metals, pigments, fillers, and restricted substances in plastic feedstocks and recyclates. |