Abstract
The use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a matrix for composite materials based on glass fiber reinforced virgin PET could be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to upgrade the bottle-grade recycled PET into engineering-grade PET for injection molding. In this work, a commercial virgin PET reinforced with 50%wt of glass fibers was compounded by mechanical mixing with a recycled PET, in order to minimize breakage of the glass fibers. The obtained compound, composed by 60%wt of recycled pet and 40%wt glass fiber reinforced virgin PET, was injection molded at three different mold temperatures (4, 40 and 80 °C) to analyze the effect of crystallization of the material during the production process. The results in terms of thermal and mechanical properties were compared with those obtained from recycled PET molded in the same conditions. The flexural tests and the analysis of thermal resistance showed that by adding 40%wt of glass fiber reinforced virgin PET to the recycled PET causes a noticeable improvement of crystallization kinetics and of mechanical properties with respect to that of the pure recycled PET, making it suitable for technical applications.
Highlights
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common thermoplastic polyesters.It is a semi-crystalline polymer with excellent mechanical properties and chemical resistance, usually adopted for water bottles, food packaging, synthetic fibers, etc. [1,2]
Recycled PET and 40% of a virgin PET reinforced with glass fibers was made, in order to
Conclusions recycled PET and 40% of a virgin PET reinforced with glass fibers was made, in order to evaluate the improvements in properties of the compound with respect to the recycled PET
Summary
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common thermoplastic polyesters.It is a semi-crystalline polymer with excellent mechanical properties and chemical resistance, usually adopted for water bottles, food packaging, synthetic fibers, etc. [1,2]. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common thermoplastic polyesters. It is a semi-crystalline polymer with excellent mechanical properties and chemical resistance, usually adopted for water bottles, food packaging, synthetic fibers, etc. The excellent properties and its wide fields of use make PET one of the most common polymeric materials in general. The large consumption of PET contributes to a significant increase in the amount of waste produced. The great stability of the PET and its resistance to hydrolytic or enzymatic degradation make it a major component of the plastic waste found in the environment [3]. Recycling is a cost-effective method to recover and transform
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