Abstract
The main purpose of plastics recycling is to reduce the high rates of plastics pollution, and in the same time to reduce the need for raw materials (resins) needed to produce new parts. Sometimes, the above-mentioned goals are not attained for unpredicted reasons. During recycling process, and in special in the case of repeated (multiple) recycling, polymeric materials are subjected to a continuous process of degradation. It was found that, degradation and consequent the coloration of the molded parts from ABS is confined to the surface of the specimen and is controlled by the rate of oxygen diffusion through the polymer. In the case of molded parts obtained by multiple recycling, there is a significant difference between FTIR spectra of dark (colored) area samples and reference area samples, especially the peak absorbance value of the infrared spectra. Darkening, in the case of recycled ABS, is attributed to the butadiene degradation, pointed out by FTIR results. Within dark (colored) areas there were found deposits containing relatively high levels of carbon, oxygen, sodium, chlorine, potassium and trace amounts of other elements. The quality level of molded parts thus obtained is strongly affected by the presence of dark areas and mentioned deposits. This article presents some deficiencies encountered in recycling plastics and makes some suggestions for improving this process. Without analysis of the potential side effects of repeated recycling of plastics on the end user, the recycling of materials does not make sense because its main goal cannot be achieved.
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Abbreviations
- ABS:
-
Acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene, a common thermoplastic polymer
- PPAP:
-
Production part approval process, a standardized process in the automotive and aerospace industries
- PFMEA:
-
Process failure mode effects analysis, a structured analytical tool used by an organization, business unit, or cross-functional team to identify and evaluate the potential failures of a process
- LPA:
-
Layer process audits, a quality technique that focuses on observing and validating how products are made, rather than inspecting finished products
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The author would like to acknowledge the Advanced Multifunctional Materials Laboratory (NANOMAT) of Suceava University for cooperation.
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Editorial responsibility: Samareh Mirkia.
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Solomon, N. Influence of repeated recycling on the quality of molded finished products. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 1495–1506 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03174-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03174-9