New materials and related recovery and/or recycling problems

The transformation under way in the industrialized countries, connected with the development of industry such as space, nuclear, electronics, computer, is producing an ever increasing demand for new properties which only new materials can supply. In this scenario, strategic, economic and environmental reasons are giving to the recovery and/or the recycling of new materials, at the end of their life cycle, more and more importance. Then the study and the development of new materials, in most cases showing a chemical or structural complexity, include necessarily the study of new recovery and/or recycling processes, adapting traditional technologies of developing new ones. Being able to meet this demand will be one of the deciding factors for further materials development. Some specific examples concerning this problem will be given.