Composition analysis and compatibilization of post-consumer recycled multilayer plastic films
Häsänen, Eemeli (2016)
2016
Materiaalitekniikan koulutusohjelma
Teknisten tieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2016-06-08
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201605183999
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201605183999
Tiivistelmä
The goal of this thesis was to deduct the composition for recycled multilayer film plastic waste and how it could be compatibilized in theory. The composition analysis was carried out using three different methods: differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and polarized light optical microscopy. Recycled multilayer plastic film samples were provided by Arcada University of applied sciences after initial screening.
FTIR and optical microscopy were used on all samples. Some samples had their materials written on the packages. DSC was used only on samples with unknown material composition. Optical microscopy was used to produce cross-section images of the multi-layer films. Layer thicknesses and the number of layers were differentiated from these images. Different plastics exhibit various interference colors with polarized light, thus individual layers could be identified. Top and bottom layers were analyzed by FTIR and then cross-referenced with the data from the layer analysis.
Analysis was carried out for 121 samples and 738 layers. This lead to the total thickness of each material used in the sample pool, which was used to further calculate the proportions of each material in relation to volume for different package types and the whole sample pool. The sample pool consisted of 56.7 % polyethylene (PE), 13.5 % of polypropylene (PP), 9.5 % of polyamide-6 (PA-6), 7.8 % of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 4.5 % of copolymers of PE and PP, 4.1 % of print, 2.0 % of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or tie layers and of 1.9 % ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). This data could be possibly used for future research into the compatibilization of commingled postconsumer multilayer plastic film waste and possible applications.
FTIR and optical microscopy were used on all samples. Some samples had their materials written on the packages. DSC was used only on samples with unknown material composition. Optical microscopy was used to produce cross-section images of the multi-layer films. Layer thicknesses and the number of layers were differentiated from these images. Different plastics exhibit various interference colors with polarized light, thus individual layers could be identified. Top and bottom layers were analyzed by FTIR and then cross-referenced with the data from the layer analysis.
Analysis was carried out for 121 samples and 738 layers. This lead to the total thickness of each material used in the sample pool, which was used to further calculate the proportions of each material in relation to volume for different package types and the whole sample pool. The sample pool consisted of 56.7 % polyethylene (PE), 13.5 % of polypropylene (PP), 9.5 % of polyamide-6 (PA-6), 7.8 % of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 4.5 % of copolymers of PE and PP, 4.1 % of print, 2.0 % of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or tie layers and of 1.9 % ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). This data could be possibly used for future research into the compatibilization of commingled postconsumer multilayer plastic film waste and possible applications.