Products Made from Post-Consumer Recycled Polymers

2 Products Made from Post-Consumer Recycled Polymers 

Polyethylene terephthalate also has the tendency, because it is produced by a condensation polymerization process, to depolymerize under high pressure and temperatures in the presence of water. Although this is usually a negative attribute, it can be utilized to regenerate pure monomers which can be repolymerized to make fresh polymer. This avoids the issues experienced by reprocessing resins, as the new resin has not experienced a previous heat history. A major drawback to this process is the requirement that the monomers used in polymerization processes must be highly pure. Unfortunately, this process is extremely costly and not performed on a commercial scale. 

Electronic equipment, including computers, printers, telephones, televisions, and stereos is ubiquitous in society today. These products often have a very limited lifetime due to the fast 

One outlet for polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride waste is plastic lumber. These materials, often containing more than one polymer and a wide variety of additives, provide superior weather resistance in humid environments when compared to natural wood. To manufacture these materials, the compound incorporates compatibilizers, which allow dissimilar polymers to mix evenly. Additionally, they assist in the incorporation of fillers and additives, such as vood flour, calcium carbonate, and pigments. 

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A promising line for future R D - even though somewhat outside the scope of the biodegradability concept - could be the development of biomass-derived polymers that can be recycled mechanically, preferably also in blends with petrochemical polymers. Such recyclable polymers made from renewable raw materials are likely to be unrivalled in environmental terms provided that their manufacture is not too resource-intensive in the first place. This may offer longer term prospects to PHA, PEA and other bio-based polymers while post-consumer recycling of starch polymers seems hardly viable due to the sensitivity of these products to water. 

Post-consumer waste consists of six major polymers polystyrene (PS), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HOPE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These polymers are incompatible and form separate phases on mixing. Fabricated products made directly from comingled plastics have poor physical properties, and can compete only with treated lumber at a price of roughly 20% of that for the virgin plastics. When freed of hidden and actual subsidies, this form of recycling is believed to have a negative economic value. 

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