Conversion of post-industrial PET-PE scraps into compatibilized plastic blends for new applications

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) / poly(ethylene) (PE) granules coming from a post-industrial packaging stream were directed to new applications .The collected material was first characterized through selective extractions followed by infrared analysis. After the characterization work the presence of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) copolymer was evidenced. Moreover the degree of yellowing was shown to increase by increasing the PE content in the granules batch. The blending of PET/PE with a stabilizer allowed to control its thermal stability, moreover the addition of compatibilizers resulted in the possibility of modulating both rheological and mechanical properties. Hence the use of stabilizers and compatibilizers .allowed to upgrade postindustrial PET/PE based materials for the use in different industrial application