Artificial UV Weathering of Retrieved Poly(vinyl butyral) Interlayer from Laminated Glass Waste: Effects of Residual Additives and Restabilization with Phenolic Antioxidants

Poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) is widely used as an interlayer in laminated safety glass in automotive and construction applications. The increasing quantities of PVB arising from end-of-life laminated glass represent a waste stream with significant potential for recycling. This study investigates the durability of high-quality retrieved PVB (re-PVB) separated from laminated glass wastes and evaluates the effect of restabilization against UV aging. Neat unplasticized PVB (u-PVB) and re-PVB were subjected to artificial UV weathering (ISO 4892-3) for up to 1500 h and then characterized in terms of chemical structure, yellowness, melt flow behavior and molecular weight. The results showed that u-PVB exhibited pronounced photooxidative degradation, while re-PVB remained comparatively stable. UV–Vis spectroscopy revealed the presence of residual UV absorbers in re-PVB, indicating that the components of the initial stabilization system might remain functional after the end of its life. Unexpectedly, the restabilization of re-PVB with phenolic antioxidants (AOs) reduced its photooxidative stability, despite their established effectiveness against thermo-mechanical degradation in melt reprocessing. A possible antagonistic effect was suggested between the newly introduced AOs and the residual stabilization system. These findings highlight that re-PVB is a valuable waste, and restabilization should be carefully considered when designing its second service life.