Valorization and Mechanical Recycling of Heterogeneous Post-Consumer Polymer Waste through a Mechano-Chemical Process.

Roberta Capuano,Mariacristina Cocca,Antonio Protopapa,Maria Emanuela Errico,Roberto Avolio,Gennaro Gentile,Rachele Castaldo,Irene Bonadies

doi:10.3390/polym13162783

Abstract

In this paper, a sustainable strategy to valorize and recycle heterogeneous polymer-based post-consumer waste is proposed. This strategy is based on a high-energy mechano-chemical treatment and has been applied to a polyolefin-rich fraction, coded as FIL/S, deriving from household plastic waste collection. This processing, performed in a planetary ball mill, allowed us to obtain fine grinding and, consequently, to induce an intimate mixing of the different polymer fractions and contaminants composing the FIL/S, as demonstrated by SEM analysis. As a result, an improvement in the deformability of the treated material was obtained, recording values for elongation at the break which were two and half times higher than the neat FIL/S. Finally, the addition of small amounts of organic peroxide during mechano-chemical treatment was tested, determining a more homogeneous morphology and a further improvement in mechanical parameters.

Highlights

Published: 19 August 2021The versatility and performances of plastics have led to their use in virtually all of the major product categories, with applications spanning from household to aerospace.About 40% of the world consumption of plastics is in the packaging sector [1], which refers to food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and personal and household products
It has been estimated that the value of the global plastic packaging market amounted to USD
Plastic packaging is characterized by a quite short service life resulting in (a) a high rate of waste generation, and (b) high intrinsic value of the discarded materials [3,4]

Summary

Introduction

The versatility and performances of plastics have led to their use in virtually all of the major product categories, with applications spanning from household to aerospace. It has been extended to polymeric systems as a solid-state strategy able to induce morphological and structural modifications [13,14], to enhance the dispersion of various nanofillers in composites [15] and as a tool to realize recycled polymeric materials with improved properties [16,17,18]. On this basis, FIL/S was processed in a BM to investigate the effects induced by the intense mechanical stresses on morphology and properties. Processed materials were analyzed through morphological and mechanical analyses, assessing processing–structure–properties relationships

Materials

Techniques

Results

BM Treatment Coupled to the Presence of Peroxide