Shredding of polyethylene terephthalate waste

Abstract

Methods of recycling polyethylene terephthalate waste are analyzed. Thermoplastic waste has great potential for mechanical recycling. Lack of information on the quality of recycled products and their applicability for specific purposes hinders their use. Shredding is a main process in mechanical recycling. Due to the viscoelastic properties, the cost of grinding polymer waste is several times higher than for most brittle mineral materials. Cutting and impact equipment is often used to shred plastic waste. To obtain micron-sized polymer particles, the technologies of cryogenic grinding and wet grinding in solvents are used, which is followed by high operating costs. The purpose of this work was to develop an economical method for producing fine powders from polyethylene terephthalate waste. The specific surface of the powders has been investigated. To investigate the destruction, differential thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy were used. The technology of secondary mechanical recycling is proposed: crushing, melting of waste, natural or water cooling of the melt, grinding on equipment typical for brittle materials. A dispersed product with a proportion of micronized fraction of about 50% was obtained for use as filler in composites. The resulting product is more degraded in comparison with the feedstock. Therefore, its use as binders is advisable in applications where a decrease in initial properties is permissible, in products with a long lifecycle, for example, in the production of building materials. The use of waste thermoplastic in applications other than the original one does not always reduce the value of the technology.