Compounding and characterization of recycled multilayer plastic films

Jönkkäri, Ilari; Poliakova, Valeria; Mylläri, Ville; Anderson, Reetta; Andersson, Mirja; Vuorinen, Jyrki

doi:10.1002/app.49101

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In fact, it may happen that it is possible to valorize a recycled material only for an application other than the original one. It might be the case of a post-consumer packaging Polymers 2021, 13, 71 2 of 18 material, that after the recycling process cannot generally be re-used in a food-contact application (due to contaminants' migration issues), or because the resulting recycled material has composition and properties completely different compared with the virgin resin (for example, the mechanical recycling of multilayer films, made of different polymers types, results in polymer blends [11,12]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on Improving the Processability and Properties of Mixed Polyolefin Post-Consumer Plastics for Piping Applications

et al. 2020

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This study focuses on the upgrading strategies to make Fil-s (acronym for film-small), a polyolefin-based material coming from the mechanical recycling of post-consumer flexible packaging, fit for re-use in the piping sector. The effects of washing treatments (at cold and hot conditions) and the addition of an experimental compatibilizer on the chemical-physical properties of Fil-s were first assessed. The measurements of some key properties (density, melt flow index, flexural modulus, yield strength), for both Fil-s as such and the different developed Fil-s based systems, was also conducted in order to evaluate the suitability of this complex and challenging waste stream to replace virgin PE-based pipe and fitting products, in compliance to ASTM D3350 standard. The outcomes of the present work contributed to define a code, for each Fil-s system investigated, useful for identifying the level of their performance in piping applications. All the recyclates were extruded as pipes by using a pilot scale plant, but the process resulted more stable and continuous with the compatibilized Fil-s, as it was deducible from its flow properties. Moreover, the best mechanical performances were exhibited by the hot-washed Fil-s pipes, with an increase in pipe stiffness equal to 65% respect to the unwashed sample.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on Improving the Processability and Properties of Mixed Polyolefin Post-Consumer Plastics for Piping Applications

et al. 2020

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“…These data highlight that, even for the pristine recycled materials, the G’ slope deviates from the power-law dependence of two expected for a monodisperse entangled linear polymer melt in the terminal region, and it progressively becomes lower by adding the nanofiller, the compatibilizer and both of them. While the values of G’ slope for the neat Fil-s, lots can be related to a quite large polydispersity index, which is expected in the case of recycled materials [ 26 , 27 ], the further reduced slope, particularly for the compatibilized nanocomposite systems based on Fil-s A, can be attributed to the formation of supramolecular structures, due to non-covalent silicate–silicate, polymer–polymer and/or silicate–polymer interactions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanosilicates in Compatibilized Mixed Recycled Polyolefins: Rheological Behavior and Film Production in a Circular Approach

et al. 2021

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Currently, plastic packaging represents a global challenge and has become a key point of attention for governments, media and consumers due to the visibility of the waste it generates. Despite their high resource efficiency, the perceived non-recyclability of polymeric films risks precluding them from being a relevant packaging solution in a circular economy approach. In this regard, the aim of this study was to implement a strategy to try closing the loop, via the mechanical recycling of post-consumer flexible packaging of small size (denoted as Fil-s) to obtain new films. In particular, two lots of Fil-s were used, which are PE/PP blends differing for the PP content and the presence of polar contaminants. The suitability for film blowing extrusion of these recycled materials, as such and after the addition of a compatibilizer and/or a lamellar nanosilicate, was evaluated. It was first evidenced that the difficulty of producing blown films with the pristine recycled materials, due to the frequent bubble breakages, occurring even at low draw ratios. Moreover, the shear and extensional rheological behavior of all Fil-s based systems was usefully correlated with their processability features, evidencing the key roles of the nanofiller to stabilize the bubble and of the compatibilizer to ensure a uniform film deformation, avoiding its premature breakage. Even if the adopted upgrading strategies allowed the production of blown films with both types of Fil-s, the different components of the recycled matrices were proven to significantly affect their processability and final film performances.

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“…The results of mechanical testing for the fibre durability showed that PE fibres with and without rosin are durable and strong even when relatively large rosin concentration (10 w-%) is used during the polymer blending. The significant effect of the spinning temperature on the long-term thermal ageing (60 °C) emphasized the essence of processing-related parameters and induced phenomena, such as crystallinity [ 40 , 41 ] and for some events cross-linking [ 42 ], when using natural components, like rosin. The processing parameters are typically adjusted per specific application and design criteria of the polyfilament.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weathering of Antibacterial Melt-Spun Polyfilaments Modified by Pine Rosin

et al. 2021

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For many antibacterial polymer fibres, especially for those with natural functional additives, the antibacterial response might not last over time. Moreover, the mechanical performance of polymeric fibres degrades significantly during the intended operation, such as usage in textile and industrial filter applications. The degradation process and overall ageing can lead to emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This work focused on the usage of pine rosin as natural antibacterial chemical and analysed the weathering of melt-spun polyethylene (PE) and poly lactic acid (PLA) polyfilaments. A selected copolymer surfactant, as an additional chemical, was studied to better integrate rosin with the molecular structure of the plastics. The results reveal that a high 20 w-% of rosin content can be obtained by surfactant addition in non-oriented PE and PLA melt-spun polyfilaments. According to the VOC analysis, interestingly, the total emissions from the melt-spun PE and PLA fibres were lower for rosin-modified (10 w-%) fibres and when analysed below 60 ℃. The PE fibres of the polyfilaments were found to be clearly more durable in terms of the entire weathering study, i.e., five weeks of ultraviolet radiation, thermal ageing and standard washing. The antibacterial response against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus by the rosin-containing fibres was determined to be at the same level (decrease of 3–5 logs cfu/mL) as when using 1.0 w-% of commercial silver-containing antimicrobial. For the PE polyfilaments with rosin (10 w-%), full killing response (decrease of 3–5 logs cfu/mL) remained after four weeks of accelerated ageing at 60 ℃.

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Compounding and characterization of recycled multilayer plastic films

Cited by 25 publications

References 15 publications

Study on Improving the Processability and Properties of Mixed Polyolefin Post-Consumer Plastics for Piping Applications

Study on Improving the Processability and Properties of Mixed Polyolefin Post-Consumer Plastics for Piping Applications

Nanosilicates in Compatibilized Mixed Recycled Polyolefins: Rheological Behavior and Film Production in a Circular Approach

Weathering of Antibacterial Melt-Spun Polyfilaments Modified by Pine Rosin

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