Recycling and Degradation of Phenolic Resins

ABSTRACT Phenolic resin (PF) is widely used due to its excellent properties. However, its highly cross‐linked structure prevents degradation in the environment after curing, which conflicts with the current concept of sustainable development. This review summarizes the current status of research on the recycling and reuse of PFs, including physical recycling, energy recovery, and chemical recycling. In light of the growing interest in biomass‐based PFs, the paper focuses on the principle of chemical modification to improve PF degradation activity, drawing on the chemical structure and degradability of lignin. To demonstrate the feasibility, the paper presents typical methods of recycling PF and evaluates all recycling methods from an environmentally sustainable perspective. In addition, the review has found regenerative pathways to transform PFs from waste to high‐value materials, with dynamic covalent networks showing great promise as a research avenue. The goal is to achieve green closed‐loop recycling of thermoset resins, represented by PF, in which the raw material is a renewable resource and the synthesized material can be recycled throughout its life cycle, so this article concludes with suggestions on the development of ideas for degradable PF.