An Integrated Characterization Strategy on Board for Recycling of poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) from Laminated Glass Wastes

: Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is widely used as an interlayer material in laminated glass applications, mainly in the automotive industry, but also for construction and photovoltaic applications. Post-consumed laminated glass is a waste that is mainly landfilled; nevertheless, it can be revalorized upon efficient separation and removal of adhered glass. PVB interlayers in laminated glass are always plasticized with a significant fraction in the 20-40% w/w range of plasticizer, and they are protected from the environment by two sheets of glass. In this work, the aim is to develop a thorough characterization strategy for PVB films. Neat reference PVB grades intended for interlayer use are compared with properly processed (delaminated) post-consumed PVB grades from the automotive and construction sectors. Methods are developed to open opportunities for recycling and reuse of the latter. The plasticizer content and chemical nature are determined by applying well-known analytical techniques, namely, FT-IR, TGA, NMR. The issue of potential aging during the life cycle of the original laminated material is also addressed through NMR. Based on the findings, a sensor capable of directly sorting PVB post-consumer materials will be developed and calibrated at a later stage

Enhancing the UV/heat stability of LLDPE irrigation pipes via different stabilizer formulations

Herein different stabilizer formulations of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) against UV- and heat-initiated degradation are described. The project aims at outdoor applications, such as irrigation piping and profiles, in the Middle East desert regions, where long-term weathering stability due to high temperatures and solar radiation is important. Two UV/heat formulations, without and with carbon black (CB) as pigment, were incorporated into LLDPE by melt compounding. Neat LLDPE and the stabilized compounds were exposed to accelerated UV and heat aging. Morphological analysis through scanning electron microscopy of the UV-exposed neat LLDPE showed more severe surface cracking compared to the CB-containing LLDPE, while all stabilized compounds did not show any surface degradation. Crack formation was less visible for the thermally aged samples. A significant decrease in molecular weight (MW) was observed for the neat UV-exposed LLDPE, while both unpigmented stabilized compounds showed little change in MW. Mechanical properties, thermal analysis, and carbonyl index results supported the morphological results, which confirmed that CB alone was slightly more effective in protecting the LLDPE against UV initiated degradation, but performed worse against thermal initiated degradation. UV1 and UV2 compounds were efficient against both UV- and heat-initiated degradation, with UV1 performing better for unpigmented compounds, and UV2 for the pigmented ones.This publication was made possible by the NPRP award (NPRP 9-161-1-030) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). We are also grateful to BASF and Sabo for supplying the additives at no cost. We further express our gratitude to Dr. Robert Brüll from Fraunhofer LBF, Darmstadt, Germany for doing the GPC analyses on our samples. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author(s).Scopu

Safety assessment of the process ‘Alimpet’, based on EREMA MPR technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘EREMA Recycling (MPR, Basic and Advanced technologies)’, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘Plastienvase’, based on EREMA Basic technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘Märkische Faser’, based on NGR technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘Veroniki Ecogrup SRL’, based on Starlinger Decon technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘4PET’, based on EREMA Basic technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process ‘Coexpan Deutschland’, based on EREMA Basic technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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Safety assessment of the process 'Linpac', based on Linpac super clean technology, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

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