Time–carbonyl groups equivalence in photo-oxidative aging of virgin/recycled polymer blends

AbstractThe photo-oxidation behaviour of polymers is strongly dependent on the initial amount of carbonyl groups along the chains. The growing use of recycled post-consumer polymers coming from products used outdoors and then photo-oxidised, both pure and blended with the same virgin polymer, gives rise to an unpredictable behaviour of weathering resistance of products made with these materials. The present work shows that the carbonyl group–exposure time curves can be shifted along the time axis to give a single generalised master plot. It is then possible to predict the formation of the new carbonyl groups by knowing only the initial amount of the same carbonyl groups. The same shift fact…

Recycling of the "light fraction" from municipal post-consumer plastics: Effect of adding wood fibers

At present the recycling of plastic materials is mostly done using homogeneous polymers. Therefore a separation from a municipal collection of plastic objects is necessary before recycling operations. The easiest way of separation is by flotation in water, i.e. the separation of the different plastics based on the different densities with respect to water. This means that all the plastic materials are separated in a “light fraction” mostly of polypropylene and polyethylene and in a “heavy fraction” mainly of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(ethylene terephthalate). The recycling of the light fraction should, in principle, be easy because of the relative similarity of the chemical structu…

Green composites of organic materials and recycled post-consumer polyethylene

International audience; Addition of organic fillers to post‐consumer recycled plastics can give rise to several advantages. First of all, the cost of these fillers is usually very low, the organic fillers are biodegradable contributing to an improved environmental impact and, last but not least, some mechanical and thermomechanical properties can be enhanced. Organic fillers are not widely used in the plastic industry although their use is increasing. Bad dispersion into the polymer matrix at high‐level content and poor adhesion with the matrix are the more important obstacles to this approach. In this work various organic fillers have been used with a post‐consumer plastic material origina…

Photo-re-stabilisation of recycled post-consumer films from greenhouses

The photo-oxidation behaviour of recycled post-consumer films from greenhouses has been studied in order to evaluate the environmental resistance of these secondary materials and the effect of some stabilising agents. The presence of the UV absorber slows down the weathering of the post-consumer materials. After about 1000 h of accelerated weathering the unstabilised post-consumer material becomes brittle, while the re-stabilised post-consumer film becomes fragile only after about 1500 h. A synergistic effect is observed when an antioxidant and an UV stabiliser are added. Indeed, in this case, the recycled material is not brittle even after more than 1700 h. These last results can be probab…

Improvement of photo-stability of LLDPE-based nanocomposites

LLDPE-based nanocomposites undergo faster photo-oxidation than the unfilled matrix and the extent of their physical properties deterioration, namely elongation at break and tensile strength, is dependent on the organo-nanoclay loading. The observed acceleration is not due to faster photo-oxidation but rather due to a reduction of the oxidation induction time. The presence in the organoclays of trace amounts of metal ions may be promoting catalytic photodegradation. While UV absorbers provide useful protection, use of a metal deactivator has been found to greatly enhance the photo-stability of the LLDPE-based nanocomposites. Combinations of a metal deactivator and UV absorber yield synergist…

Photooxidation and Stabilization of Photooxidized Polyethylene and of its Monopolymer Blends

The increasing use of products from recycled polymers, or from blends with recycled polymers exposed to the outdoors, implies the need for good weathering resistance. This is particularly important when the recycled material comes, in turn, from products exposed during their lifetime to the sun. In this case the presence of C=O groups in the macromolecular chains strongly increases the photooxidative degradation kinetics of these secondary materials. In this work the change of the photooxidative degradation of blends of virgin and photooxidized polyethylene was evaluated as a function of the C=O content present in the material. As expected, the presence of the C=O groups strongly increases …

Compatibilization of HDPE/organoclay nanocomposites by functionalized polyethylenes

Durability of a strach-based biodegradable polymer

Abstract The photo-oxidation and the photo-stabilization of a commercial biodegradable polymer have been investigated in order to establish the possibility of using this polymer as raw material for films for agriculture. The degradation has been followed by measuring the mechanical properties as a function of photo-oxidation time and in particular by following the elongation at break. The virgin polymer, made from maize starch and a synthetic biodegradable polyester, shows poor resistance to the UV irradiation as observed by the fast decay of the elongation at break, but the presence of small amounts of conventional UV stabilizers strongly improves the durability of this polymer. The UV sta…

Thermomechanical degradation of filled polypropylene

The main problem in post-consumer plastics recycling is due to the thermomechanical stress acting on the melt during the reprocessing operations. The macromolecules break because of the temperature and of the mechanical stress. The extent of degradation is then correlated to the level of mechanical stress which, in turn, is proportional to the viscosity of the melt. The presence of fillers increases the viscosity of the polymers and then it is expected that the level of thermomechanical degradation of these systems is larger than that of the unfilled material. In this work the thermomechanical degradation kinetic of a polypropylene sample is investigated as a function of the calcium carbona…

Thermo- and photo-oxidative stability and improved processability of polyamide stabilized with a new functional additive

During processing polyamides can undergo thermo-mechanical degradation due to the mechanical stress and to the high temperature applied to the melt. Degradation can occur also during the polyamides lifetime due to many driving forces, like temperature, ultraviolet radiations, etc. The mechanisms of degradation are not well understood and the stabilization with usual stabilizers, like phenol antioxidants, is not so efficient as for other classes of polymers. The aim of this work is the study of the effects of the addition of a new multifunctional additive on the processing and on the thermo- and photo-stabilization of polyamide-6. This additive is able to prevent the thermo-mechanical degrad…

Filmability and properties of compatibilized PA6/LDPE blends

Blends of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyamide 6 (PA6), compatibilized with an ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer (EAA), either alone or combined with a low molar mass bis-oxazoline compound (PBO), have been processed in film blowing operations and the properties of the films have been investigated. Without of compatibilization, the filmability of the blend was very poor and no significant specimen was collected. As a result of the reactive compatibilization, the blends with EAA and even more with the EAA-PBO, were processed successfully in film blowing. The films of the quaternary blends were shown to possess satisfactory mechanical properties as a result of fine and stable morpholog…

EVA Copolymer Based Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites are a new class of polymer material with an ultrafine phase dispersion of the order of a few nanometers that shows very interesting properties often very different from those of conventional filled polymers. In this work the mechanical and optical properties of Poly-[ethylene-co-(vinyl acetate)] (EVA copolymer) based nanocomposites have been investigated to evaluate its possible use in several applications. For example, films for covering greenhouse effect. Mechanical properties, and the rigidity in particular, are, on the contrary, quite low. Nanocomposites should avoid this shortcoming if optical properties and processability are not unfavorably effected. EVA copolymer base…

Characterization and Reprocessing of Greenhouse Films.

Films for greenhouses are an attractive source of post-consumer plastic materials because they are mainly made of polyethylene and can be easily collected in large amounts in small zones. The types of polymers for this application are, however, increasing and the films contain not only additives and stabilisers, but also fertiliser and pesticide residues. Finally, the extent of photooxidative degradation undergone during the use can strongly influence the recycling operations and the final properties of the secondary material. In this work, a complete characterisation of post-consumer films for greenhouses has been carried out and the properties of the recycled material have been correlated…

A new equipment to measure the combined effect of humidity, temperature, mechanical stress and UV exposure on the creep behaviour of polymers

To be able to study and predict the physical properties of a polymeric material under different environmental conditions is very important. Moisture, UV irradiation, thermal and mechanical stresses can dramatically change the characteristics of the material and hinder some specific applications. In this work, a new equipment able to perform creep tests under different environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, stress) is presented. Some preliminary results are also presented using a sample of polyamide 6. As this polymer is sensitive to all these variables, it is appropriate to verify the effectiveness of the new instrument.

EVA copolymer based nanocomposites: rheological behavior under shear and isothermal and non-isothermal elongational flow

Abstract Nanocomposites are a very promising new class of polymer composites that exhibit an interesting combination of chemical, physical and mechanical properties. Only small amounts of nanofiller are sufficient to generate great variation of many properties. This work focuses on the rheological properties of poly[ethylene- co -(vinyl acetate)] (EVA copolymer) based nanocomposites in shear and in isothermal and non-isothermal elongational flow. The nanocomposites, at two different filler contents, were prepared in two different extruders and intercalates were obtained for all the samples. The twin-screw compounder is more efficient. The change of rheological properties, both in shear and …

Formulation, Characterization and Optimization of the Processing Conditions of Blends of Recycled Polyethylene and Ground Tyre Rubbers: Mechanical and Rheological Analysis

Abstract Recycling represents a valid alternative to the disposal of post-consumer plastics in common landfills if it is possible to obtain new materials with good final properties compatible with practical application and, above all, by using cheap methods. In this work the possibility to produce secondary materials by blending recycled polyethylene (RPE) coming from greenhouses and post-consumer ground tyre rubber (GTR) has been studied. In particular, the preparation of these blends has been carried out in a common industrial twin screw extruder. RPE pellets and GTR powder were fed to the extruder without any other additive. Temperature, processing speed, mixing procedure and composition…

Effect of the additive level and of the processing temperature on the re-building of post consumer pipes from polyethylene blends

Abstract One of the main shortcomings of the mechanical recycling is that the properties of the secondary materials are generally sensibly inferior with respect to the virgin ones. This feature implies, for sure, that they cannot be used for the same technological application but also other uses of the secondary material are impossible. The aim of this work is to study the re-building of recycled post-consumer pipes, made of a blend of different polyethylenes, by re-processing in the presence of a nitroxyl compound as radical generator. The processing temperature and the additive concentration have been varied in order to study the effect of these parameters on the final properties. The mec…

On the effectiveness of different additives and concentrations on the re-building of the molecular structure of degraded polyethylene

Mechanical recycling is an easy and economic way to re-use plastic waste as secondary materials, but, in general, their properties are worse with respect to the reclaimed materials and the virgin polymer. The aim of this work was to study the effect of concentration and reaction kinetics of two additives, an ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate (Lotader) and a hydroxylamine derivative (CGX), in the re-building of a degraded polyethylene. CGX is a nitroxyl radical generator able to form branching in polyolefins while the epoxy groups of Lotader can react with the functional groups present in the recycled polyethylene. The results indicate that the CGX has a higher reaction rate than Lotader, pr…

“Effect of Filler Type and Processing Apparatus on the Properties of the Recycled “Light Fraction” from Municipal Post-Consumer Plastics”

Plastic waste or scraps are generated from two main sources: industrial wastes and post-consumer wastes. By using the flotation method, generally two fractions are obtained from municipal post-consumer wastes: a light fraction, floating on water, and a heavy fraction. The former is essentially made of low and high density polyethylene—LDPE, HDPE—and polypropylene—PP; the heavy fraction is formed by poly(vinyl chloride)—PVC—and poly(ethylene terephthalate)—PET. In this work, the recycling of a light fraction from municipal post-consumer plastics has been studied, considering also the effect of filler type—glass fibres, calcium carbonate and wood fibres—and processing apparatus—discountinous …

Reprocessing and restabilization of greenhouse films

From the ecological and economical points of view, reprocessing of polyethylene greenhouse films is a promising solution to reduce discarded materials and to produce useful, or potentially useful, objects for service. Films exposed outdoors, however, show inferior mechanical properties and the melt processing worsens these properties. The addition of stabilizers and antioxidants to recycled plastic products prevents inherent thermal instabilities from occurring within the time frame of proper processing. In this study, we attempt to explore ways for improving product performance by the addition of four different additives when the recycled films undergo intensive shear processing. The proce…

Recycling of plastics from packaging

Plastic waste coming from the separate collection of packaging film was recycled and characterized. The material is a blend of low density and linear low density polyethylene and after recycling shows mechanical and rheological properties depending on the processing conditions and apparatus. High processing temperature and high residence times strongly enhance the degradation processes and reduce the mechanical properties, in particular the elongation at break. A possible use of this recycled plastic is for the production of low pressure pipes but the properties are lower than those of virgin pipe grade polyethylene. By introducing additives, like antioxidants, inert fillers and impact modi…