From Disposal to Technological Potential: Reuse of Polypropylene Waste from Industrial Containers as a Polystyrene Impact Modifier

Abstract

The practice of recycling over the years has been increasingly encouraged, with the aim being the manufacturing of materials that contribute to sustainable development. In light of this, the present work evaluated the potential of mixtures of polystyrene (PS)/recycled copolymer polypropylene (PPr), using styrene-(ethylene/butylene)-styrene (SEBS) as a compatibilizing agent. Initially, the mixtures were prepared in a co-rotational twin-screw extruder, and, afterwards, the extruded granules were molded by injection. The properties of torque rheometry, impact strength, tensile properties, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), heat deflection temperature (HDT), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were evaluated. The formulation PS/PPr/SEBS (70/20/10 %wt.) demonstrated an increase in viscosity, corroborating with an increase of 123% and 227% in the elongation at break and impact strength, respectively, compared to neat PS. Though the elastic modulus and tensile strength suffered losses, the reduction was not drastic. Furthermore, the addition of a semi-crystalline recycled material in the amorphous matrix (PS) contributed to an increase in thermomechanical strength, as seen in the HDT. The morphology revealed that SEBS is effective in making PS/PPr mixtures compatible because the dispersed phase is well adhered to the PS matrix and promotes greater morphological stability. Thus, it is possible to add value to discarded material and reduce the costs of the final product, which can reduce pollution.

Produção de biocompósitos de biopolietileno/farinha de madeira compatibilizados com PE-g-MA. Avaliação do teor de anidrido maleico nas propriedades mecânicas e termomecânicas

“…Aparentemente, o maior grau de enxertia do PE-g-MA não impactou essa propriedade de HDT, tendo em vista que não há diferenças significativas nos resultados. A HDT é uma propriedade que depende do módulo elástico e do grau de cristalinidade (Luna et al, 2020). Como o módulo elástico aumentou, como verificado na Figura 2, torna-se razoável sugerir que contribuiu para o acréscimo na HDT.…”

Investigação do desempenho de blendas PA6/HIPS compatibilizadas com SEBS-MA. Efeito do teor do compatibilizante nas propriedades mecânicas, termomecânicas, reometria de torque e na morfologia

“…Em geral, o torque é diretamente proporcional à viscosidade e, consequentemente, aumentos nos valores de torque podem ser interpretados como existência de interações entre grupos químicos (Bezera et al, 2017;Lima et al, 2016;Luna et al, 2020c).…”

From Waste to Reuse: Manufacture of Ecological Composites Based on Biopolyethylene/wood Powder with PE-g-MA and Macaíba Oil

“…The plastic industry is one of the sectors of the economy that has developed the most in recent years, generating a large number of products derived from conventional thermoplastics [1]. One of the major problems in the use of conventional plastic materials is the environmental impact caused by their disposal [2].…”