Polyolefins Waste Materials Reconditioning Using Dissolution/Reprecipitation Method

Recycling of waste polymer based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) is studied by dissolution/reprecipitation method. In this technique, Toluene and petroleum ether (PetE) as solvents with different fractions and PetE, n-hexane as non-solvents were examined at different weight percent amounts and different temperatures, using as raw material for commercial polymer products (packaging food, bags, laboratory plastic materials, detergent containers). The recovery of polymer in every case was greater than 98%. FT-IR spectra and tensile mechanical properties of the samples before and after recycling were measured. Potential recycling-based degradation of the polymer was further investigated by measuring the thermal properties (melting point, crystallinity), of the polymer before and after recycling, using DSC. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B. V. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society