Special Packaging Materials from Recycled PET and Metallic Nano-Powders

• Published in: Polymers 2023-07, Vol.15 (15), p.3161
• Main Authors: Ciobanu, Romeo C, Aradoaei, Mihaela, Caramitu, Alina R, Ion, Ioana, Schreiner, Cristina M, Tsakiris, Violeta, Marinescu, Virgil, Hitruc, Elena Gabriela, Aflori, Magdalena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodegradable materials; Circular economy; Closed loops; Composite materials; Crystallization; Differential scanning calorimetry; Food packaging; Food safety; Fourier transforms; Glass transition; Hot pressing; Light; Metal oxides; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Packaged goods; Packaging; Particulate composites; Plastics; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polymer matrix composites; Polymers; Polyolefins; Raw materials; Recycled materials; Recycling; Scanning electron microscopy; Thermoplastics; Ultraviolet radiation; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym15153161

The European methodology for plastics, as a feature of the EU's circular economy activity plan, ought to support the decrease in plastic waste. The improvement of recycled plastics' economics and quality is one important part of this action plan. Additionally, achieving the requirement that all plastic packaging sold in the EU by 2030 be recyclable or reusable is an important objective. This means that food packaging materials should be recycled in a closed loop at the end. One of the most significant engineering polymers is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used. Due to its numerous crucial qualities, it has a wide variety of applications, from packaging to fibers. The thermoplastic polyolefin, primarily polyethylene and polypropylene (PP), is a popular choice utilized globally in a wide range of applications. In the first phase of the current experiment, the materials were obtained by hot pressing with the press machine. The reinforcer is made of Al nanopowder 800 nm and Fe nanopowder 790 nm and the quality of the recycled polymer was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). From DSC variation curves as a function of temperature, the values from the transformation processes (glass transition, crystallization, and melting) are obtained. SEM measurements revealed that the polymer composites with Al have smooth spherical particles while the ones with Fe have bigger rough spherical particles.