Abstract
Polymer recycling is nowadays in high-demand due to an increase in polymers demand and production. Recycling of such materials is mostly a thermomechanical process that modifies their overall mechanical behavior. The present research work focuses on the recyclability of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), one of the most recycled materials globally, for use in additive manufacturing (AM). A thorough investigation was carried out to determine the effect of the continuous recycling on mechanical, structural, and thermal responses of HDPE polymer via a process that isolates the thermomechanical treatment from other parameters such as aging, contamination, etc. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) specimens were produced from virgin and recycled materials and were experimentally tested and evaluated in tension, flexion, impact, and micro-hardness. A thorough thermal and morphological analysis was also performed. The overall results of this study show that the mechanical properties of the recycled HDPE polymer were generally improved over the recycling repetitions for a certain number of recycling steps, making the HDPE recycling a viable option for circular use. Repetitions two to five had the optimum overall mechanical behavior, indicating a significant positive impact of the HDPE polymer recycling aside from the environmental one.
Highlights
In 2019, approximately 359 million tons of plastic products were produced worldwide due to increasing demand of lightweight, durable parts
Regarding the recycling of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), this study presents a global recycling circular economy model (Figure 1) with the four main parameters affecting the process of recycling
This research focused on the effect of the thermomechanical treatment during the recycling process on mechanical and thermal properties of virgin HDPE polymer over a specific number of recycling steps
Summary
In 2019, approximately 359 million tons of plastic products were produced worldwide due to increasing demand of lightweight, durable parts. Due to poor waste management globally, nine billion tons of plastic ends up in the environment annually [1,2,3,4]. Polymer resins such as polystyrene (PS), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are used to produce the most plastic parts available globally. Polyolefins are produced mainly from oil and natural gas by a process of polymerization of ethylene and propylene, respectively. Their versatility has made them one of the most popular plastics in use today.
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