Utility of polymeric material is a major contribution to the production of waste, particularly in Pakistan. An easy escape to it is the damping in the land which is not commendable for an environmental point of view. On the other hand, the aging of polymer is analogous to its burial conditions under the soil in the absence of light. Therefore, in this research report, two different brands of polyethylene carrying bags were investigated. One sample was obtained from Pakistan abbreviated as sample `Y` while the other from Canada abbreviated as `E`. In order to accelerate the degradation process and to observe the impact of aging in a shorter span of time, these samples were heated at an elevated temperature (80�C) in an oven for the period of 20 days. The samples were characterized before and after aging with an interval of 2 days by applying different techniques like FT-IR, SEM, DSC, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Carbonyl peak at 1715 cm-1 was observed only in the case of sample `E` displaying carbonyl index value as 28.45 % after 20 days of aging. The SEM images before and after aging revealed that the degradation took place at preferential sites in case of sample `Y` and at numerous sites in case of sample `E`. The results of percent crystallinity obtained by DSC showed an increasing pattern with aging for both the samples and was high in case of sample `E.` The activation energy determined by using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa showed a decreasing pattern for both the samples with aging. It concluded that the thermal aging initiates the process of degradation which was then accelerated by heating in TGA oven. The order of reaction was slightly decreased after aging for both the samples and was found to be independent of the heating rate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.