Studies on the effect of electron beam irradiation on waste polyethylene and its blends with virgin polyethylene

Waste polyethylene (WPE) was segregated from the municipality solid waste, cleaned, dried, and chopped into pieces, then processed in a Brabender Plasticorder using the melt mixing technique. Blends of WPE and virgin polyethylene were prepared in various proportions under optimized process conditions. Of the various blend proportions studied, 70/30 blend of WPE/low density polyethylene (LDPE) and 50/50 blend of WPE/high density polyethylene showed better mechanical properties and hence selected for further modification involving electron beam irradiation. Aforementioned blends were exposed to various doses of electron beam irradiation and the effect of irradiation on physicomechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural modulus, hardness, and impact resistance were studied. Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction studies, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and gel content were considered to characterize the blends. Physicomechanical properties improved to an appreciable extent on irradiation but the elongation at break reduced drastically. Blow molding of the 70/30 WPE/LDPE blend could be done successfully to make bottles. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.