Abstract
Poly(ethylene tereftalate) (PET) is a polymer highly susceptible to the hydrolytic reactions that occur during applications and mainly in thermomechanical processing. These reactions lead to the decrease of molecular weight of the polymer, limiting the recycling number of the material. The reactive extrusion of the PET in presence of chain extenders is an alternative to recover mechanical and rheological properties that were depreciated by the polymer degradation. In this study, PET wastes from nonwoven fabrics production were extruded in presence of the secondary stabilizer Irgafos 126 (IRG) on variable concentrations. The results showed that Irgafos 126 increased molecular weight, decreased crystallinity and changed processing behavior of the PET, similarly to the effects produced by the well-known chain extender pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), showing that the secondary stabilizer Irgafos 126 can also act as a chain extender for the PET.
Highlights
During thermomechanical processing the thermoplastic polymers are subject to high temperature and shear stress conditions able to produce severe degradation to the polymer[1]
The indication that the stabilizer Irgafos 126 had acted such as a chain extender occurred during the 2012; 15(3)
The extrusion conditions were initially adjusted to process Poly(ethylene tereftalate) (PET) waste and PET waste containing secondary stabilizer (Irgafos 126) at 200, 230, 250 and 250 °C from feeding zone to matrix, respectively. This temperature profile needed to be changed for higher values at 200, 270, 290 and 290 °C respectively, when irgafos 126 was incorporated at 0.15% w/w
Summary
During thermomechanical processing the thermoplastic polymers are subject to high temperature and shear stress conditions able to produce severe degradation to the polymer[1]. Some addictives, such as Irgafos 126 (IRG), are largely used as secondary stabilizer to minimize the degradation effects in polymers, causing significant effect in the preservation of the material properties[2]. Polyolefin such as polyethylene and polypropylene can be submitted to several processing steps in presence of stabilizers without that theirs properties would be drastically affected[3]. Other cycles of reutilization are not frequently viable due to the low quality of material, generating high production of post-consumer and post‐industrial wastes with low recyclability potential[4]
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