Why some recycled polymers are preferred to virgin ones

It is no longer a taboo that some high quality recycled polymers may be more sought after than virgin ones, that they may cost the same or more than the same ones and that they have general qualities very similar to petroleum-derived polymers.

Furthermore, the most important thing is that they are the technological evolution of processing waste, or even post-consumer waste in the case of rPET , in full compliance with the principles of the circular economy.

Consumers, companies that manage important brands and politicians now have a clear idea of the road we must walk on, a road built painstakingly (and not finished) of sustainable materials, recycling, renewable energy and reduced environmental impact. on fumes, waste and liquid or solid process waste.

From this perspective , the world of recycled polymers is building an important reputation , acquiring the trust of producers and consumers who strongly want products with the lowest possible impact on the environment.

There are five families, among the most used products in the world of plastic materials, which are HDPE, PP, LDPE, PET and PVC which, alone, cover such an important percentage of articles on the market that they leave there is very little space for other types, in terms of quantities produced and used.

Let's look at them closely:

• To compete with virgin materials in the non-food sectors, recycled HDPE must have a series of peculiar characteristics such as the absence of a pungent odor, the neutrality of the base colour, a DSC which certifies the composition of 100% HDPE and technical characteristics in the car comparable. These characteristics lead to the production of articles with flawless surfaces, neutral to the smell of recycling, with homogeneous and bright colors and with mechanical characteristics suitable for the use for which the product is intended.

• Recycled PP has an infinite number of uses and its limitation to massive use was linked, in this case too, to the presence of odors and the difficulty of having a recipe that only included PP inside. In fact, the incorporated PE fractions could create aesthetic problems on the products during the molding phase. Today there are recipes that have solved these problems and, starting from a neutral base, therefore without residues of previous colorants, it is possible to obtain excellent colored surfaces of the product. From a mechanical point of view it is possible to obtain good results and the similarity with the virgin raw material allows their mixing.

• Recycled LDPE is a product widely used in extrusion, molding and filming but has always been relegated to the creation of unaesthetic or coarse quality items. With neutral LDPE from post-industrial waste it is possible to create 20 micron films, transparent or coloured, and to create thin tubes, as the material has no contamination or solid residues inside which could cause holes. Furthermore, it is possible to use it in the molding sector where important aesthetic finishes are required. Among the five products on display, the recycled LDPE granule is the one in which the risk of unpleasant odors is highest, a problem that does not arise in these post-industrial recipes.

• The recycled PVC powder has a white base, micronized to increase its quality, and has characteristics that are completely comparable to a virgin K67 from a technical and aesthetic point of view. A mixture of post-industrial waste from the window profile sector guarantees production quality in the field of aesthetic profiles and tube extrusion.

• Recycled PET , certified for food , is the only one of the products presented that has a post-consumer and not post-industrial origin. The particular mechanical recycling, certified by bodies responsible for authorizing the use of the recycled polymer in the food sector, allows its use in a field in which the demand for the recycled polymer is very high, such as the soft drinks and mineral water sector . The perfect synthesis of the circular economy, rPET for food is the polymer that best embodies the spirit of friendly plastic in which everything that becomes waste is reused for a new product.

Category: news - technology - plastic - recycling - polymers