Plasticizers Derived from Postconsumer PET: Research Trends and Potential Applications presents a roadmap to the successful use of postconsumer PET to obtain plasticizers for later use, a proposal which presents both economic and sustainability advantages. Based on the results of the latest research into the development of chemical recycling techniques of PET waste, this book describes techniques where the plasticizer obtained can be utilized for value addition in PVC and other polymers. In addition, the book provides basic introductory information on the role of plasticizers in the modification of polymers, basic quality requirements, and the latest trends in the synthesis and use of plasticizers in industry, also presenting the available methods of PET recycling, with particular emphasis on chemical recycling, analysis of the PET market, the availability of postconsumer PET, and its value as a raw material for other products. Based on the authors' research, the book discusses the use of postconsumer PET in the synthesis of monomeric and oligomeric plasticizers. Synthesis conditions are shown in detail, and the influence of the structure of synthesized softeners on their basic quality parameters are assessed and compared with selected commercially available products. In the final sections, the book covers the economic challenges and benefits of this process and its application to newly developed products.

The greatest challenge we face in dealing with the complexity of our world? To think again and to think better. In a world that challenges us with ever more complicated problems, the quality of our thinking is a critical game-changer. As individuals, organisations, societies, and cultures, we need to cultivate thinking that is both insightful and farsighted. We must learn how to mobilise and apply intelligence that goes beyond the ordinary - one that continuously exceeds its own limits. The Postgraduate School of Thinking, at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels (VUB), is an experimental program with the mission of challenging us all to achieve just that. Deploying an innovative combination of mobilisation methods, the program sets out to define the cognitive strategies, practices, and habits that are the marks of exceptional thinkers. This book features a variety of interdisciplinary research articles and discussions that invite us to explore our capacity for extraordinary thinking.