scholarly journals Polypropylene Contamination in Post-Consumer Polyolefin Waste: Characterisation, Consequences and Compatibilisation

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2618
Author(s):  
Erdal Karaagac ◽  
Mitchell P. Jones ◽  
Thomas Koch ◽  
Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Plastic Recycling ◽  
Band Ratios ◽  
Ft Ir ◽  
Waste Characterisation ◽  
Recycled Material

Plastic recycling strikes a balance between functional, mass producible products and environmental sustainability and is pegged by governments for rapid expansion. However, ambitious targets on recycled material adoption across new markets are at odds with the often heterogenous properties of contaminated regranulates. This study investigated polypropylene (PP) contamination in post-consumer low-density polyethylene (PE-LD) and mixed polyolefin (PO) regranulates. Calibration curves were constructed and PP content, its effect on mechanical properties and property recovery in compatibilised material assessed. FT-IR band ratios provided more reliable estimations of PP content than DSC melt enthalpy, which suffered considerable error for PP copolymers. PE-LD regranulates contained up to 7 wt.% PP contamination and were considerably more brittle than virgin PE-LD. Most mixed PO regranulates contained 45–95 wt.% PP and grew more brittle with increasing PP content. Compatibilisation with 5 wt.% ethylene-based olefin block copolymer resulted in PE-LD blends resembling virgin PE-LD and considerable improvements in the properties of mixed PO blends. These results illustrate the prevalence of PP in recycled PE, challenges associated with its quantification, effect on mechanical properties, and compatibilisation viability, thereby representing an important step towards higher quality regranulates to meet the recycling demands of tomorrow.

scholarly journals Low-Temperature Mechanical Properties of High-Density and Low-Density Polyethylene and Their Blends

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1821
Author(s):  
Ildar I. Salakhov ◽  
Nadim M. Shaidullin ◽  
Anatoly E. Chalykh ◽  
Mikhail A. Matsko ◽  
Alexey V. Shapagin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Impact Strength ◽  
Relative Elongation ◽  
High Density ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Elongation At Break ◽  
Subzero Temperatures ◽  
Izod Impact

Low-temperature properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), and their blends were studied. The analyzed low-temperature mechanical properties involve the deformation resistance and impact strength characteristics. HDPE is a bimodal ethylene/1-hexene copolymer; LDPE is a branched ethylene homopolymer containing short-chain branches of different length; LLDPE is a binary ethylene/1-butene copolymer and an ethylene/1-butene/1-hexene terpolymer. The samples of copolymers and their blends were studied by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 13С NMR spectroscopy, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) using testing machines equipped with a cryochamber. It is proposed that such parameters as “relative elongation at break at −45 °C” and “Izod impact strength at −40 °C” are used instead of the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature to assess frost resistance properties because these parameters are more sensitive to deformation and impact at subzero temperatures for HDPE. LLDPE is shown to exhibit higher relative elongation at break at −45 °C and Izod impact strength at −20 ÷ 60 °C compared to those of LDPE. LLDPE terpolymer added to HDPE (at a content ≥ 25 wt.%) simultaneously increases flow properties and improves tensile properties of the blend at −45 °C. Changes in low-temperature properties as a function of molecular weight, MWD, crystallinity, and branch content were determined for HDPE, LLDPE, and their blends. The DMA data prove the resulting dependences. The reported findings allow one to understand and predict mechanical properties in the HDPE–LLDPE systems at subzero temperatures.

scholarly journals Polyethylene Migration from Food Packaging on Cheese Detected by Raman and Infrared (ATR/FT-IR) Spectroscopy

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 3872
Author(s):  
Klytaimnistra Katsara ◽  
George Kenanakis ◽  
Zacharias Viskadourakis ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis
Keyword(s):  
Vibrational Spectroscopy ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Ft Ir ◽  
Comparative Results ◽  
Short Time ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Ft Ir Spectroscopy

For multiple years, food packaging migration has been a major concern in food and health sciences. Plastics, such as polyethylene, are continuously utilized in food packaging for preservation and easy handling purposes during transportation and storage. In this work, three types of cheese, Edam, Kefalotyri and Parmesan, of different hardness were studied under two complementary vibrational spectroscopy methods, ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, to determine the migration of low-density polyethylene from plastic packaging to the surface of cheese samples. The experimental duration of this study was set to 28 days due to the degradation time of the selected cheese samples, which is clearly visible after 1 month in refrigerated conditions at 4 °C. Raman and ATR-FTIR measurements were performed at a 4–3–4–3 day pattern to obtain comparative results. Initially, consistency/repeatability measurement tests were performed on Day0 for each sample of all cheese specimens to understand if there is any overlap between the characteristic Raman and ATR-FTIR peaks of the cheese with the ones from the low-density polyethylene package. We provide evidence that on Day14, peaks of low-density polyethylene appeared due to polymeric migration in all three cheese types we tested. In all cheese samples, microbial outgrowth started to develop after Day21, as observed visually and under the bright-field microscope, causing peak reverse. Food packaging migration was validated using two different approaches of vibrational spectroscopy (Raman and FT-IR), revealing that cheese needs to be consumed within a short time frame in refrigerated conditions at 4 °C.

Physical and mechanical properties of linear low-density polyethylene/cycloolefin copolymer/layered silicate nanocomposite

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 3167-3174 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sánchez-Valdes ◽  
E. Ramírez-Vargas ◽  
L.F. Ramos de Valle ◽  
J.G. Martinez-Colunga ◽  
J. Romero-Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Layered Silicate ◽  
Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Linear Low Density Polyethylene

Effect of fillers on mechanical properties of recycled low density polyethylene composites under weathered condition

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-49
Author(s):  
Ibiyemi A. Idowu ◽  
Olutosin O. Ilori
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Mechanical Tests ◽  
Filler Loading ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Hardness Property ◽  
Recycled Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Polyethylene Composites

The study examined the effect of fillers on the mechanical properties of the recycled low density polyethylene composites under weathered condition with a view of managing the generation and disposal of plastic wastes. Discarded pure water sachets and fillers (glass and talc) were sourced and recycled. Recycled low density polyethylene (RLDPE) and preparation of RLDPE/glass, RLDPE/talc and RLDPE/glass/talc composites were carried out using a furnace at compositions of 0 – 40% in steps of 10% by weight. The mixtures were poured into hand-laid mould. The samples produced were exposed to sunlight for eight (8) weeks and their mechanical properties were studied. The results of mechanical tests revealed that tensile strength decreased with increasing filler loading while impact strength and hardness property increased marginally and considerably with increasing filler loading for all the composites respectively. The study concluded that glass and talc were able to reinforce recycled low density polyethylene under weathered condition. Keywords: Recycled Low Density Polyethylene (RLDPE); Fillers; Glass, Talc; Weathering condition; Sunlight; and Mechanical properties; Tensile strength, Impact and hardness

Effect of UV Treatment on Optical Properties of Low-Density Polyethylene Films Doped with Eu(TTA)3phen Complex

2014 ◽  
Vol 895 ◽  
pp. 155-161
Author(s):  
M.I. Khairuldin ◽  
N.M.A. Aziz ◽  
N.M. Nashaain ◽  
S. Wedianti ◽  
I. Farehah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Low Density Polyethylene ◽  
Rare Earth Complex ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Uv Treatment ◽  
Uv Spectrum ◽  
Light Manipulation ◽  
Emission Transition ◽  
Ft Ir

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) films doped with Eu (TTA)3phen complex (TTA=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone, phen=1,10-phenanthroline) were fabricated by hot-blowing technique for thickness of 100 μm. The films were doped with 0.1 % of Eu (TTA)3phen to the total weight of LDPE and exposed to UV irradiation from deuterium lamp for 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 hours to investigate the effect of its optical properties. The films were characterized by Spectrofluorometer, UV/VIS Spectrophotometer and FT-IR Spectrometer to measure their emission spectra, lifetimes, transmission transparency and chemical bonding. Photoluminescence of the room-temperature Eu (TTA)3phen doped films consist of typical Eu3+emission transition lines with hypersensitive5D07F2emission band at 610 nm. After 20 hours UV treatment, the peak intensity dropped by 90 % and shortened the luminescent lifetimes from 0.654 ms to 0.305 ms. Longer UV treatment also has accelerated degradation in doped LDPE films shown by significant reducing in absorption peak of FTIR at 3395, 3186 and 1645 cm-1. The results would provide a mechanism to improve the lifetime of the LDPE by utilizing the light-manipulation property of Eu (TTA)3phen complex to absorb UV spectrum and covert into red emission.Keywords: LDPE, rare-earth complex, photoluminescence

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