Creating a value chain for mixed polymer waste
As rising feedstock prices impinge on competitiveness, making use of recycled waste is not only smart for the planet but increasingly required by law and profitable for the EU plastics industry. However, although most plastics are recyclable, processing mixed waste streams is quite complicated and therefore demand is low. Of the 50 % of plastic waste recovered in Europe, only 7 % is currently converted into useful products.EU support enabled scientists to develop a production chain for recycled plastic packaging through work on the project 'A process to engineer and manufacture medium to high value 3D products using mixed polymer recyclate' (PRIME) . The team focused on reuse of mixed waste for products such as building materials, temporary structures, flood barriers, flooring and marine structures. They can be manufactured from sandwich panels consisting of two outer layers (skins) potentially with glass fibre reinforcements and an internal core composed of mixed polymer recyclate. The team also incorporated fire retardant components.Scientists developed cost-effective, flexible moulding technology capable of forming recycled polymer products from 80–98 % mixed waste polymers. A finite element-based design tool was also developed to assess the mechanical response of the complex 3D architectures before moulding.A number of small flood barriers were produced to test the mixed waste polymer processing capabilities. Both mechanical and leakage tests were successfully carried out, supporting both the value of the design tool and the exciting potential of recycled mixed waste polymers. A life-cycle analysis demonstrated the environmental benefits of such products compared to aluminium equivalents.PRIME has paved the way to using recycled mixed plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills in high-end products. Scientists predict the technology could enable diversion of over 2 billion tonnes of waste from landfills over a 10-year period, leading to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by more than 6 000 tonnes. The processing technology also solves many important problems for producers, including increasing environmental restrictions and decreasing competitiveness. The numerous European enterprises active in the plastics processing sector should find welcome relief from PRIME tools, processes and products.
Keywords
Plastic, polymer, mixed waste, recycled, moulding technology, sandwich panel
