Abstract
An issue with old cardboard container recycling is the generation of a plastic waste stream that currently either gets land-filled or burned. The contents of this rich plastic waste, which constitutes 35% of the exiting stream, are not well documented. This study is aimed at characterizing the plastic waste stream for engineering new second life products. The plastic waste from a Wandel screen processing unit was composed typically of hot melt adhesives (37%), polypropylene (32%), polyethylene (17%), and polystyrene (9%). Proportions varied 10% or less in each polymer category. The plastic waste was compounded, milled and injection molded into test specimens. DSC analysis showed that the polymers exist generally in separate phases. TGA thermograms determined that the onset degradation (405°C) of the mixed stream is an average of its components. In tensile tests, the mixed plastic waste stream performed comparably to its starting materials with a modulus of 9.6 MPa, ultimate strength of 8.7 MPa, and toughness of 52.6 J.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
