Development of thermoplastic recycled blends from biomedical waste: evaluation of properties and value addition thereof

Abstract

The recycled polyolefin waste which included polypropylene (PP) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) were collected from hospital and subsequently sterilized by 1% sodium hypochlorite and followed by microwave disinfection. The sterilized BMW were analyzed for growth of pathogens if any. FTIR analysis was performed to analyze the composition of the waste as well as Carbonyl index to evaluate the extent of degradation post sterilization process. Recycled blends were prepared using melt extrusion technique and ethylene diene monomer was added to balance the interface between the varied polyolefin waste. Blends were studied for mechanical and morphological properties. Thermal analysis employed DSC revealed two different peaks of crystallization and melting revealing incompatibility in the blends. DMA showed reduction in the modulus with incorporation of LDPE and EPDM. SEM analysis confirmed the homogeneous distribution of RLD droplets with reduction in the interparticle distance indicates the partial miscibility. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

Stretch-Induced Spin-Cast Membranes Based on Semi-Crystalline Polymers for Efficient Microfiltration

“…This sheet is then subjected to hot-drawing, either uniaxially or biaxially, creating pores at the interface between the polymer and filler [19][20][21][22][23][24]. Widely adopted in commercial applications, this extrusion-stretching route has proven to be efficient and scalable [25][26][27][28][29]. Notably, polyethylene (PE) is among the most preferred polymers due to its favorable attributes, which include its low cost, processability, scalability, and versatility [23,30].…”