Recycling assessment of multilayer flexible packaging films using design of experiments

• Main Authors: Gabriel Abreu Uehara, Marcos Pini França, Sebastiao Vicente Canevarolo Junior
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Polímeros 2015-08-01
• Series: Polímeros
• Subjects: DOE; multilayer flexible packaging films; polymer blends; recycling; response surface methodology
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-14282015000400371&lng=en&tlng=en

AbstractThe viability of recycling post-industrial packaging waste, compounded from multilayer laminated PET-PE films, for production of polymer blends with good physico-mechanical performance is analyzed. Initially, several PET-PE model-blends were prepared from fresh polymers and were compounded with different formulations, based on design of experiments (DOE). Polymer compatibilizers based on maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) and glycidyl methacrylate (E-GMA) have been used to promote the compatibilization reaction. The physico-mechanical properties of the model-blends were evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM). Finally, the post-industrial waste was compounded with the same concentration of compatibilizers in the previous set of model-blends. The DOE methodology showed to be a useful tool for assessing the recycling, since it helped to produce recycled materials with acceptable physico-mechanical properties. Between both compatibilizers studied, PE-g-MA showed to be the best additive for compatibilization due to the presence of a polyamide component in the waste, which undergoes a kinetically favorable compatibilization reaction.