08-Oct-26 New process selectively dissolves and recovers polyphenylene sulfide without breaking the polymer into monomers, opening a potential route to closed-loop recycling of high-value engineering plastics
Toray Industries has developed what it describes as an industry-first solvent-based recycling technology for polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), potentially opening a new route for recycling one of the industry's most technically demanding engineering plastics.
The technology selectively dissolves and separates PPS from waste materials while retaining the polymer in its existing form, rather than breaking it down into monomers. Toray says the recovered PPS retains the same molecular weight and melting point as virgin material.
Toray is currently conducting scale-up demonstrations and is targeting commercial supply around 2030
Why recycling PPS is difficult
PPS is a super-engineering thermoplastic known for exceptional heat resistance, chemical resistance and dimensional stability.
It is used in demanding applications including:
Automotive Components;
Electrical Connectors;
Electronic Components;
Sensors;
Pumps And Valves;
Under-The-Hood Applications;
Ev Components;
Industrial Equipment.
The same properties that make PPS attractive in demanding applications also make it difficult to recycle.
PPS has very high chemical resistance, meaning that conventional solvent-based separation is difficult. End-of-life PPS components can also contain glass fibres, fillers, pigments and other materials, creating an additional contamination challenge.
As a result, recovering high-quality PPS from used products has historically been considerably more difficult than recycling commodity polymers such as PET or PE.
Toray's approach: recover the polymer rather than destroy it
Conventional chemical recycling often works by breaking a polymer down into chemical building blocks or monomers and then using these raw materials to manufacture new polymer.
Toray's new approach is different.
The company says its process:
selectively dissolves PPS → separates it from other materials → crystallises/recover the PPS polymer → removes glass fibres and impurities.
The key advantage is that PPS remains a polymer throughout the recovery process.
Why maintaining performance matters
A major challenge with recycling engineering plastics is property degradation.
In conventional mechanical recycling, repeated thermal and mechanical processing can affect polymer properties. In glass-fibre-reinforced grades, mechanical recycling can also shorten glass fibres, potentially reducing reinforcement efficiency.
Toray has previously developed material-recycling technology for glass-fibre-reinforced PPS, which it markets within its Ecouse recycled-material programme. Its sustainability materials specifically identify recycled PPS resin under the TORELINA brand.
The new solvent-based technology is potentially more powerful because it can separate the PPS polymer from glass fibre and other contaminants while recovering the polymer itself.
This opens the possibility of creating a higher-purity recycled PPS feedstock rather than simply recycling a mixed composite into a lower-grade material.
EVs could become an important source of PPS waste
One of the more interesting commercial implications is the connection between PPS recycling and the growth of electric vehicles.
PPS is used in applications where heat resistance, electrical insulation, dimensional stability and chemical resistance are important.
As EV production grows, PPS demand can potentially increase in:
Electrical Connectors;
Sensor Components;
Charging Systems;
Thermal-Management Components;
Pump And Valve Components;
Power Electronics-Related Components.
This creates a future circular-economy opportunity:
growth in PPS consumption today → larger PPS-containing component base → recoverable PPS feedstock in the future.
That could make PPS recycling increasingly relevant to automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers seeking to meet future circularity and recycled-content requirements.
Sources: Toray Industries; Toray sustainability publications; Chemical Engineering; PlasticsToday; RecyclingInside.
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