Symposium
Editor, J. Kahovec
Editor-in-Chief, Hartwig Hocker
Editors, W. Guth, B. Jung, I. Meisel, and S. Spiegel
Wiley-VCH, December 1998, pp. 1-373
ISBN 3-527-29803-7 (ISSN 1022-1360)
Preface
Volume
135 of Macromolecular Symposia is devoted to recycling of polymers,
a subject of great societal importance. All advanced industrial societies
protect their environment and conserve resources by recycling materials
that still have a useful life. Among currently used materials, polymers
in particular, have been a source of concern because they contribute
a relatively large volume to the waste streams originating from households.
Efforts have therefore been underway to remedy this problem either by
reusing the polymers directly or by recovering the chemical or energy
content of the polymeric materials that would otherwise be disposed
of in wasteful ways, e.g., in landfills.
Most of
the papers in this volume were presented at the Microsymposium on Recycling
of Polymers that took place at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry
in Prague from 14-17 July 1997 under the sponsorship of IUPAC and the
Czech Chemical Society. The Microsymposium was an exceptional opportunity
to bring together about 100 specialists from 18 countries working on
this important subject. It was a followup of a previous IUPAC symposium
on the same topic that was held in 1991 (see Volume 57 of Macromolecular
Symposia). Together with the papers presented at the Prague Microsymposium,
we are also publishing here the final report of the Working Party on
Recycling of Polymers that operated under the auspices of the Macromolecular
Division of IUPAC and several papers contributed by specialists from
that working party and their colleagues. By combining the papers from
these two sources, we hope to enable the reader to be brought up to
date on the current state of knowledge in this essential area.
Dr.
Norbert M. Bikales
Chairman of the Microsymposium
Chairman, IUPAC Working Party
on Recycling of Polymers