Recycled polymer composites as innovative materials

Znano je, da se poraba polimernih materialov iz dneva v dan povečuje. Posledično izrazito narašča tudi količina polimernih odpadkov, ki vstopajo na trg. Čim hitreje je potrebno najti pot, ki nas bo vodila do učinkovite izrabe sekundarnih polimernih surovin. To raziskovalno delo je opravljeno z namenom karakterizacije mehanskih in mikrostrukturnih lastnosti mešanic kompozitov s polimerno matico iz recikliranih polimerov v kombinaciji z različnimi polnili. V laboratoriju smo izvedli analizo ekstrudiranega materiala ter določili vpliv različnih pogojev izdelave na končno karakteristiko samega kompozita. Delo predstavlja tudi možnosti uporabe takšnega materiala in standarde, ki jih takšen kompozitni produkt mora izpolniti za uspešen prodor na trg. Raziskava je pokazala, da imajo kompozitni materiali s polimerno matico iz recikliranega polimera karakteristike, ki so povsem primerljive s karakteristikami primarnih polimernih materialov. Potrdili smo tezo, da je iz recikliranih polimernih materialov skupaj s kombinacijo različnih polnil mogoče izdelati preproste izdelke s primerljivimi ali celo izboljšanimi karakteristikami, ki so tako primerni za vsakdanjo uporabo.It is well known that the consumption of Polymeric materials is increasing day by day. Consequently, the quantity of polymeric waste which is entering the market is also rapidly increasing. In order to reduce the problem we need to find a path, that will lead us to the efficient use of secondary polymeric raw materials. This research work is carried out with the purpose of characterizing the mechanical and microstructural properties of composites based on recycled polymers with combination of various fillers. In the laboratory we have performed an analysis of the extruded material and determined the influence of the different manufacturing conditions on the final characteristic of the composite itself. The work also presents the possibilities of using such material and the standards that such a composite product must fulfill in order to be successfully implemented on today’s demanding market. The study showed that composite materials with polymer base consisting only recycled polymers have characteristics that are completely comparable to the characteristics of primary polymer materials. We have confirmed the thesis that simple products with comparable or even improved characteristics can be made by recycled polymeric materials, together with a combination of various fillers and are therefore suitable for everyday use