RECYCLED COMPOUNDS | MATERIALS
Widespread adoption of recycled compounds in injection moulding requires input and expertise from a wide range of companies in the value chain. Mark Holmes reports on progress
Suppliers boost recycled material offerings
Closing the cycle within the circular economy, as well as meeting sustainability goals for injection moulders and their customers and brand owners, relies heavily on the development and use of recycled plastic compounds. Recycling technologies include widespread mechanical recycling techniques, as well as solvent-based processes, while the development of chemical recycling continues to gain interest. Mechanical recycling of plastics is the most common form of recycling technology currently in use. It is widely used for post-consumer and post-industrial thermoplastics, such as PP, PE, or PET. In general terms, PE, PP and polyolefin mixes
make up the largest proportion of a post-consumer flexible packaging waste stream (PET is a separate waste stream), for example, and the current preference is for mono-PE and mono-PP materials for recycled process development. This makes it easier to recycle and contributes to improving the quality of recycled materials, and so retaining as
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much value in recycled materials as possible. The potential variation of materials can also significantly impact the quality of the recyclable plastic waste, and manual separation is typically required to help reduce impurities in the final products. Other polymers that might be found in recycling feed- stocks include PET, PVC, and PA, which also have challenges. In addition, the material in use, coat- ings, colour, additives, ink coverage and the type of recycling process can all affect the quality, func- tional performance, and appearance of recyclate. A major challenge in the industry is accurate determination of whether recycled materials can be used in typical plastics processing, such as injection moulding. International testing organisa- tion Intertek has devised a materials evaluation programme to meet this demand. Marc Triepels, Application Specialist Polymers, Intertek Polychem- lab, says frequent monitoring of materials through a structured evaluation programme can add value
Main image: More and more injection moulders are using materials containing recycled plastics
April 2022 | INJECTION WORLD 33
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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