Abstract
While halogens, such as chlorine and bromine, improve the safety and functionality of plastic products, its removal from plastics also has an impact on the effectiveness of plastic recycling. High-efficiency recycling of used plastics improves the value of plastic as a secondary material and allows for the collection of useful and rare metals. In this study, we summarize the history of dehalogenation technology and expand on its current state. There is a focus on the perception that halogens are considered troublesome to plastic recycling. In the EU, the quality of plastics as secondary raw materials is now standardized within the circular economy package so this is used here as a base for discussing how to effectively proceed with evaluating the use of plastics in the future.
