Johannes Karl Fink is Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry at Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria. His industry and academic career spans more than 30 years in the fields of polymers, and his research interests include characterization, flame retardancy, thermodynamics and the degradation of polymers, pyrolysis, and adhesives. Professor Fink has published many books on physical chemistry and polymer science including A Concise Introduction to Additives for Thermoplastic Polymers (Wiley-Scrivener 2009), The Chemistry of Biobased Polymers, 2nd edition (Wiley-Scrivener 2019), and 3D Industrial Printing with Polymers (Wiley-Scrivener 2019) and The Chemistry of Environmental Engineering (Wiley-Scrivener 2020).

• Preface xi1 Monomers and Polymerization Methods 11.1 Types of Monomers and Synthesis Methods 21.2 Polymerization Methods 281.3 Future Trends in Summary 292 Automotive Industry, Hemp and Sustainable Polymers 332.1 Plastics Industry 332.2 Fields of Application 352.3 Evolution 352.4 Material Safety 362.5 Environmental Sustainability of Plastics 362.6 Future Directions for Sustainable Polymers 372.7 Circular Economy 402.8 Automotive Industry 472.9 Future Trends in Summary 653 Plastic Waste 733.1 Valorization of Plastic Waste 733.2 Origin of Plastic Waste 743.3 Waste Accumulation 813.4 Conversion of Plastic Waste into Fuel 843.5 Future Trends in Summary 964 Plastic Pollution in the Environment 1014.1 Ingestion of Macroplastics by Odontocetes of the Greek Seas 1014.2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Plastics Consumption 1034.3 Sustainability of Plastic Types 1034.4 Plastic Industry in China 1054.5 Carbon Footprint 1084.6 Global Greenhouse Gas Emission from Both Traditional Plastics and Bioplastics 1094.7 Future Trends in Summary 1105 Recycling 1135.1 The Frontier of Plastics Recycling 1135.2 Recycling Technologies 1135.3 Plastic Waste Generation 1285.4 Recycled Plastics in Food Contact 1285.5 Enzyme Discovery and Engineering for Sustainable Plastic Recycling 1295.6 Special Compositions 1295.7 Bottle Recycling 1315.8 Recycling of Post-Consumer Polyolefins 1345.9 Recycling of Multi-Material Multilayer Plastic Packaging 1355.10 Future Trends in Summary 1396 Renewable Energy 1476.1 Plastic Waste 1476.2 Future Trends in Summary 1547 Methods of Characterization 1577.1 Polymer Identification Techniques 1577.2 Identification of the Materials 1587.3 Future Trends in Summary 1608 Medical Uses 1638.1 Optical Applications 1638.2 Materials 1658.3 Surgery 1708.4 Polymer Implants 1738.5 Orthopedic Applications 1768.6 Sutures 1788.7 Biomedical Uses 1788.8 Drug Delivery 1808.9 Self-Healing Materials 1808.10 Surgical Instruments 1818.11 Microplastics 1828.12 Future Trends in Summary 1839 Restoration 1919.1 Deterioration of Cultural Heritage 1919.2 Science 1929.3 Layer-by-Layer Architectures 1979.4 Future Trends in Summary 19810 Food Applications 20110.1 Molecularly Imprinted Polymers 20110.2 Self-Assembled Carbohydrate Polymers 20610.3 Quartz Crystal Microbalance Sensors 20610.4 Analysis of Problematic Additives 22110.5 Food Packaging 22310.6 Food Container 23810.7 Future Trends in Summary 23811 Additive Classes 24711.1 Compatibilizers 24711.2 Contaminants 24811.3 Legacy Additives 25311.4 Chain Extenders 25311.5 Nucleating Additives 25611.6 Food Additives 25811.7 Antioxidants 26311.8 Future Trends in Summary 26612 Manufacturing 27112.1 Wood-Plastic Composites 27112.2 Single-Use Plastics 27812.3 Future Trends in Summary 280References 280Index 283Acronyms 283Chemicals 286General Index 292