Polymer recycling is an essential and crucial topic in our sustainability-driven society. The depletion of oil and the increasing interest in biomass conversion clearly stimulate the search for alternative carbon sources. On the other hand, polymeric products (plastic, rubber etc.) are ubiquitous and are an integral part of our life. Recycling these products is thus of paramount importance, and perhaps crucially, from an environmental point of view. In this work, we will focus on the most common commodities, with the most important being (in terms of production volume) thermoplastics, rubbers and thermosets. A consequence of this choice is that the most common materials as well as chemical and biochemical recycling methods will be discussed. New advances in the corresponding technologies will be presented and critically evaluated. Finally, on the basis of this literature review, we will identify current trends and possible future developments.

2,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF)-based polyesters are an interesting new class of biobased and potentially biodegradable furanic polymers. However, their thermal properties are currently insufficient, making them unsuitable for potential applications as commodity plastics. To improve this, several polyesters were synthesized using an enzymatic bulk polymerization process with the monomers BHMF and aliphatic dimethyl esters of varying spacer lengths. The BHMF units were subsequently cross-linked with a biobased bismaleimide (BM-689) through a [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between the furan and maleimide groups. This approach clearly demonstrated that these furan-based polyesters can be thermoreversibly cross-linked using this bismaleimide. The use of different spacer lengths further allows the variation in relative reaction rates and affects the reversibility and reprocessability of the polymers. In situ ¹H NMR spectroscopy revealed the identification of the endo- and exostereoadducts formed by the Diels-Alder reaction. A rheological analysis demonstrated the reprocessability and the thermal properties were further characterized via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This study sheds light on the thermal and mechanical enhancement of biobased BHMF-based polyesters, while maintaining their recyclability, which widens the range of potential application of this promising polymer.