Defining quality by quantifying degradation in the mechanical recycling of polyethylene.

Autor: Patel AD; Department of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.; Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom., Schyns ZOG; Department of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.; Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom., Franklin TW; Department of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.; Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom., Shaver MP; Department of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. michael.shaver@manchester.ac.uk.; Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. michael.shaver@manchester.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature communications [Nat Commun] 2024 Oct 09; Vol. 15 (1), pp. 8733. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 09.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52856-8
Abstrakt: Polyolefins have a multitude of uses across packaging, automotive and construction sectors. Their resistance to degradation during reprocessing enables recyclability, but variability in recycled polymer feedstocks renders it difficult to assure their manufacturing suitability. The lack of quality control methods has disabled circular economy pathways; product failure is costly, wasteful and time-intensive. Using rheology-simulated and extrusion-based recycling experiments, we explore the degradation pathways of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Chain scission dominates during the initial degradation of HDPE, and increasing exposure to O 2 shifts the dominant mechanism to long-chain branching. Importantly, extending this method to post-consumer recyclate (PCR), the results show potential as a methodology to assess recyclate quality to enable a circular plastics economy. In this study, we establish the validity of this rheology simulation to define a characteristic degradation parameter, relating it to the structural evolution under different environments defined for virgin HDPE and post-consumer recyclate (PCR).
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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