  Environmental concerns are the chief drive for more innovative recycling
techniques for end-of-life polymeric products. One attractive option is taking
advantage of C and H content of polymeric waste in steelmaking industry. In
this work, we examined the interaction of two high production polymers, i.e.,
polyurethane and polysulfide with molten iron using ab initio molecular
dynamics simulation. We demonstrate that both polymers can be used as
carburizers for molten iron. Additionally, we found that light weight H$_2$ and
CH$_x$ molecules were released as by-products of the polymer-molten iron
interaction. The outcomes of this study will have applications in the
carburization of molten iron during ladle metallurgy and waste plastic
injection in electric arc furnace.
