Morphologic and mechanical properties of blends from recycled acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and high-impact polystyrene

Abstract

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) have attracted attention due to their high pollutant potential and increasing volume produced in recent years as function of the modernization and continuum substitution of the current equipment that quickly become obsolete. Among polymeric materials that make up the WEEE, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) copolymers are the most important materials. However, it is not always possible the complete segregation of ABS and HIPS during the processes for mechanical recycling of these polymers. Thus, the formation of ABS/HIPS blends is often unavoidable. In this report, the relationship between morphology and mechanical/rheological properties of ABS/HIPS blends produced from WEEE recycling was investigated. Although the component polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PB) are present in the composition of both ABS and HIPS, the blends ABS/HIPS are immiscible, showing complex morphology that directly affect the mechanical and rheological behavior of the material. On the other hand, the production of the ABS/HIPS blends is an interesting alternative for properties control of the recycled polymers from WEEE.