Thermal and melt rheological behaviour of composites produced from waste paper and plastic

The thermal and melt rheological properties of highly filled polymer composites produced from waste papers, Recycled Paper Waste (RPW) and Liquid Paperboard (LPB), in a post-consumer Stretch-Wrap (SR) matrix have been evaluated. Thermal testing has indicated that large amounts of absorbed water are bound to the filler and, along with small levels of volatile emissions, would be released in compounding and moulding of the composite. The thermal limits of the waste paper fillers and matrix have been evaluated, indicating upper processing limits in the order of 240 degrees C. Melt rheological testing has shown large increases in viscosity with filler volume fractions that have shown a good fit to an exponential equation. The frequency dependence of the viscosity of the composites has shown good agreement with the power-law relation and the composites have shown a decrease in relative change in viscosity with temperature compared to the unfilled matrix.